Hello again everyone!
In this opportunity we want to share some important information: Language Interpreters and Translators are not the same!
Yes, you heard it right. Some of you may already know this, but lately we have been seeing a lot of people confusing these terms, and we are going to give you three main differences between them, so you don’t confuse them again:
1- Words!: interpreters work with spoken words, meaning their interpretation is done with people speaking at the moment. This can occur in legal circumstances, such as court cases or situations involving the police; in medical scenarios like a doctor appointment or a hospital emergency; or live TV, such as the famous Miss Universe, that usually needs interpreters for all the contestants who don’t speak English. But on the other hand, translators work with written words, which means text such as legal documents, books, medical documents, subtitles in movies, or anything else.
2- Method: language interpreters work live! This means they work in person, via phone call or video (like a Zoom call, which our interpreters are doing a lot right now). But translators have more time in their favor because they translate written texts, and even though they have deadlines, they have more opportunity to check the accuracy of the translation. Also, this means that usually interpreters do an exceptional work, but as their work is live, there might be some details that won’t be exact, opposing written translations, which are usually closer to perfection.
3- Tools and resources: as we mentioned before, language interpreters work with different methods, but it’s always live. So the tools they require are going to depend on the type of assignment, because if it’s in person they will just take their interpreter certificate and maybe a notebook to take notes, but if it’s via video or phone call, they will need a computer, a cell phone, headphones, and a microphone. But language translators aside computers and keypads, they also use dictionaries and platforms that help to check the accuracy of the translations!
Even though they are different, they both do amazing work, have a passion for languages and have an undeniable talent, because not everyone can be a translator or interpreter. You need to be really precise, dedicated and careful, especially in medical and legal environments! (you can check our last blogs to see the relevancy of them and how important is their work)
But luckily for you, we offer both services! We have language interpreters and translators, and also ASL (Sign Language) interpreters! So we can help you with cultures, languages, documents, events, or anything you need.
We hope this blog was useful for you! Share it with your friends that are confused 🙂
