What Is the Difference Between Interpretation and Translation?

Translation and interpretation are two distinct processes that are often confused for each other. Of course, they both have to do with making it possible for people who speak, sign, read, and write different languages to communicate with each other smoothly. They enable understanding in both professional and personal settings and help reduce the chance of misunderstandings greatly.

What Is Interpretation?

Interpretation is the process of bridging the gap between people who communicate in different languages. Interpretation is done orally or by sign language in real time. People use their knowledge, skills, and cognitive power to interpret what someone says from one language to another. It is an essential service in many different settings, including business, government, and healthcare. Far too many people with limited bilingual or multilingual skills are left out of opportunities or conversations about important topics.

While professional interpreters may take part in one-on-one or small group meetings, they also work extensively over the phone, on platforms like Zoom, and in virtual meeting software. For example, the people who speak a different language each have their own interpreter who can interpret simultaneously and essentially talk over the original speaker with only a slight delay for the interpretation to process. This can greatly speed things up for everyone involved.

Another unique quality of interpretation is that the interpreters often work in both directions for the benefit of everyone in the conversation. For instance, they can listen to English and speak Mandarin to a Chinese visitor to keep them in the loop. Then, when the person from China speaks Mandarin, the interpreter restates their words in English so everyone else can understand.

What Is Translation?

Translation is the process of relaying the meaning of a written text in one language for people who only understand another language. It is often referred to as "written translation," to differentiate it from interpretation, which is for the spoken word. A translator must be able to understand both languages involved in the translation process and have good knowledge of both cultures. Translation is used for a variety of purposes, including business, diplomacy, and education. It is especially important for work contracts and project descriptions. Everyone deserves the right to have essential documents and forms accessible to them.

Professional translators do more than change one word to another and make sure that the sentence structure functions in an understandable way. They must understand what the document says and what the intention is behind it in order to make a viable copy for someone speaking another language. In many cases, they use automatic systems and AI to help with the process. However, it is important not to rely on these things as they are prone to mistakes and awkward writing. When your business operations or the next big contract is on the line, you cannot risk handing over documents with errors or misunderstood content.

Do You Need a Translator or Interpreter?

It may seem that the answer to this question comes down to whether you have people speaking or a written document that needs to be transposed into another language. Some business representatives and service providers use the two terms interchangeably. It always helps to ask by describing your needs. In other words, tell the language services company that you need assistance with speech or writing.

The vast majority of businesses, healthcare organizations, schools, and other professional entities that interact with global teams or clients need both translation and interpretation services. Between organizing virtual meetings, finalizing contracts, and general communication, it helps to have team on hand who can do it all.