Many people tend to think that translation and interpretation services are just two different words implying the same thing. Though both are related to language, there is a huge difference, especially in the medium they focus on.
In a translation service, the translator mainly changes the text from one language to another, whereas an interpreter changes speech into another language in real-time. Translation and interpretation can benefit your business, and if you haven’t used any of the services before, the confusion is easy to figure out which one you need.
To help you deal with your confusion, we, in this article, will clarify the variance between translation and interpretation services. We will also unpack the differing focuses of each service and the skills you must look for while hiring a translator or an interpreter.
What Is Interpretation?
Interpretation is the process of translating spoken words from one language to another in real-time. A professional interpreter is a person who can interpret in person, on the telephone or over a video call. You can hire an interpretation service anytime while working with people who do not share your native language.
What Skill Does An Interpreter Need To Have?
An interpreter must be fluent in both the languages- the source language and the target language. During an interpretation service, the interpreter converts the words and emotions altogether to keep the context of the conversation intact. They paraphrase it in their way while preserving its meaning. That’s why a professional interpreter must be fluent in both languages.
Since an interpreter converts the spoken word in real-time, they need to be orally fluent and know both languages’ regionalism, custom, and idioms. However, interpretation is not about converting a sentence word by word. But it is about directly conveying the message of a sentence in real-time without changing the literal meaning of the spoken words.
An interpreter also needs to be a subject matter expert based on the type of interpretation they’re doing. During a technical discussion, both parties might use acronyms for specific terms, and the interpreter must understand those terms.
What Is Translation?
The translation is the process of converting a written text from one language to another. A successful translation can convey the message and meaning of the original text. A professional translator can convert the original text into many languages, and they can translate anything from websites, books to brochures.
A translator is typically an expert in specific subjects or industries as a specialization gives them adequate background knowledge to capture the text’s literal meaning and result in accurate translation.
What Skills Does The Translator Need?
Like the interpreters, translators also need to be linguistically excellent in both the source and the target language. They must be able to understand the idioms and tone of the source language. Typically, translators are native speakers of the target language. At times, translators might have specialization in specific areas such as legal and medical to understand the industry insights and improve the translation’s quality and accuracy.
Though translation and interpretation seem to be similar, they are very different practices. Interpretation handles spoken language in real-time, whereas translation is all about text-based conversion. But whatever it is, both can help you in better communication. At Interactio, they are offering professional interpretation services to effectively communicate with people from different language backgrounds in real-time.
