One Hour Translation Blog

Though translation services and interpretation are commonly used words found in all dictionaries, there are several misconceptions about the skills required and the nature of the job. Often they are loosely used interchangeably to mean one and the same thing while in practice they are quite different. This article tries to clarify the two terms for the layman.

The basic difference between translation and interpretation is that the former is a written task while the latter is an oral task. Translation involves changing a written text from a source language to a target language. Interpretation involves listening to a speech or conversation in a source language and orally convert it into a target language.

The difference between translation and interpretation may look subtle but actually the skills required are quite different. While a translator has to be good writer, interpreters need to be skilled in oral communication. The spoken language can be quite different from written language with slang etc. which adds to the complexity. Translators generally work alone in doing their job while interpreters work with two or more people depending on whether it is a head to head meeting or conference, seminar etc.

The common types of translation are human translation, machine translation, machine assisted translation, screen translation (making subtitles of movies etc.) etc. Interpretation is mainly of 2 types: consecutive interpretation which is performed in head to head meetings in both directions and simultaneous interpretation in which a speech is simultaneously interpreted in a target language like a meeting in U.N. in a single direction.

Interpretation is done in real time while translation is offline. Interpreters have the choice of consulting the speaker for more clarity if required while a translator has no such luxury. Translators usually sit alone in their chambers, ruminate over the material to be translated, consult thesaurus or dictionaries while doing their job. Rarely there is opportunity for the translator to interact with the original writer before translating. Thus translation is an inorganic process while interpretation is more organic with scope for consultation with the speaker.

Translations are often delivered as a single product meaning thereby the order is unimportant i.e. you can do the end first before the beginning. Also the time pressure in translation is less compared to interpretation. Interpreters do not have that luxury and are under intense time pressure to deliver the job in real time. Translators can revise their work and fine tune and polish it before delivery which is not possible in interpretation. Interpretation is more about catching the essence or meat of the speech while translators can afford to focus on the nuances or subtle differences while executing their job.

Thus the experience that a translator and an interpreter undergo while doing their job is vastly different as also the skills required.