Translator or interpreter?

The difference is simple: translators write and interpreters speak. Both must possess skills in the languages and subject involved, knowledge of the cultures they bridge, and native fluency in the target language.

Even people who consider themselves experts in their own language know they need a lawyer to write a contract and a copywriter to produce promotional materials that work. They recognize, in short, that different people have different types of expertise and that merely speaking a language doesn't make a translator or interpreter any more than knowing how to cook makes a chef.

Remember those translations of assembly instructions for foreign-made products or signs abroad that weren't quite right? Some, like "Please take advantage of the chambermaid," are downright funny. But they weren't written to be funny. And nobody will be laughing when the translation of a technical manual is confusing and somebody gets hurt and sues.

Because international commerce and industry depend on accurate translations, quality control is as important here as in the research laboratory or on the factory floor.

In short, to avoid ridicule, confusion, or legal liability, translations should be performed by professionals and checked by professionals. Shortcuts and false economies can spell disaster.

Interpretation--whether simultaneous or consecutive--demands the same professional expertise. Professional interpreters are trained to bridge cultures, to provide the vital link of understanding between businessmen, government officials, technical personnel from different countries, or between the jury and the accused.

Interpreters and translators must know both what is meant and how to communicate it to people of a different culture. To do this requires a thorough knowledge of the subject matter at hand, of both cultures involved, and of the subtleties of speech and regional dialects. In a word, it takes a professional.

Now find out whether to engage an individual or company for your particular project.