Many people make the mistake of assuming that a translator and an interpreter are one and the same. This is a common error, and one that is not entirely unjustified. After all, to the layman, both do the same kind of work, the only difference being that the former works with the written word, while the latter with the spoken. However, the differences between the two run much deeper than that, and if you need the services of an interpreter, you need to go for a specialist.
While the basic difference between a translator and an interpreter has been mentioned already, in that one works with the written word and the other with the spoken, that difference means the skill requirements for the two are vastly different. He does have to be good at things like grammar, sentence construction etc. In this case, the translation is one way. However, with an interpreter, he needs to be equally skilled in both the languages he is working with, because his work is a two way process. He needs to be able to convey the emotions, the subtleties of both languages accurately and quickly.
Another difference between the two is time. A translator may have to work under the pressure of a deadline, but he still has the time needed to think about sentence construction, structure etc. He also has the time to consult reference books, online resources and other materials. The interpreter does not have this luxury. He usually works in real time, under tremendous pressure, and has to solve any linguistic problems he might face on the spot. Thus, he needs to be cool under pressure and often needs to deal with not just two different languages, but also the people involved if the discussion gets heated. There are two types of interpreting jobs, consecutive and simultaneous. Consecutive is when the speaker speaks, then pauses as his statement is interpreted, and then resumes. Simultaneous is when the speaker never stops speaking, and the person interpreting has a scant few seconds to digest the information he has heard and interpret it into another language.
While the basic difference between a translator and an interpreter has been mentioned already, in that one works with the written word and the other with the spoken, that difference means the skill requirements for the two are vastly different. He does have to be good at things like grammar, sentence construction etc. In this case, the translation is one way. However, with an interpreter, he needs to be equally skilled in both the languages he is working with, because his work is a two way process. He needs to be able to convey the emotions, the subtleties of both languages accurately and quickly.
Another difference between the two is time. A translator may have to work under the pressure of a deadline, but he still has the time needed to think about sentence construction, structure etc. He also has the time to consult reference books, online resources and other materials. The interpreter does not have this luxury. He usually works in real time, under tremendous pressure, and has to solve any linguistic problems he might face on the spot. Thus, he needs to be cool under pressure and often needs to deal with not just two different languages, but also the people involved if the discussion gets heated. There are two types of interpreting jobs, consecutive and simultaneous. Consecutive is when the speaker speaks, then pauses as his statement is interpreted, and then resumes. Simultaneous is when the speaker never stops speaking, and the person interpreting has a scant few seconds to digest the information he has heard and interpret it into another language.
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