Here’s the confusion I see. The definition of e.g. you cited is wrong. "E.g. is the abbreviation for exempli gratia and means, for example, and **it's the literal example of the thing being translated.**" It should read: ** it’s an example of the thing just mentioned.**. Literal or translation is not part of the definition. Some examples: When thinking about Romance languages, e,g., Italian, it’s helpful to remember ... “Italian” is an example of “Romance languages.” If you were to read one of his early books, e.g., The Red House, you would notice ... “The Red House” is an example of “his early books.” As you probably know, “exempli gratia” is a Latin phrase that means “for example”. As Ana said, just see it as meaning that and don’t be concerned about the Latin.

I never thought about the literal translation of e.g. When I read e.g. in English I say, "For example, ...." and then read the example that follows the e.g.. Keep things simple. I'm not sure what you mean when you say 'translation'. What follows e.g. in a example to further explain or demonstrate what the writer is trying to say.