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On the difference between a translator and an interpreter

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Walter Landesman
Walter Landesman  Identity Verified
Uruguay
Local time: 19:16
English to Spanish
+ ...
A fact of life Apr 29, 2011

Yes, the author is quite right. Most people don`t know the difference.

As the author, I also think interpreting is for people who have really strong nerves. And as the author, I don’t have the nerves for it anymore.
 
Veronica Lupascu
Veronica Lupascu  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 00:16
Dutch to Romanian
+ ...
Nice article Apr 29, 2011

I also think interpreting is stressful and I really admire those who do this job. Simultaneous interpreting seems the most difficult to me and I wonder how long an interpreter could work like this without pause. I think I would be exhausted after 10-15 minutes.

I did some interpreting jobs in an office for like 8 months. The boss was from Cyprus and even though he spoke English very well, he wanted Greek to be spoken in his office in Moldova. I was the last year at university and wa... See more
I also think interpreting is stressful and I really admire those who do this job. Simultaneous interpreting seems the most difficult to me and I wonder how long an interpreter could work like this without pause. I think I would be exhausted after 10-15 minutes.

I did some interpreting jobs in an office for like 8 months. The boss was from Cyprus and even though he spoke English very well, he wanted Greek to be spoken in his office in Moldova. I was the last year at university and was not really used to spoken Greek. That job really helped me learn a lot and the boss understood when I needed to look in a dictionary or to think longer. And when I came across to difficult/new terms, he explained them (also used them in contexts) as from the beginning of history until now it was fun.

But interpreting is not for me. I want to do my job well and I know I would not be able to do that if people start saying jokes, or use slangs or remember an old saying or simply use a term I don't know.

As about the difference... Romanian word for translator is traducător, while for interpreter there are two words: interpret and translator. I think people generally know the difference between the 2 professions, but they use "translator" quite frequently with the English meaning of "translator", i.e. Romanian "traducător". Even proZ.com members make this mistake in forums. They are misled by the English word obviously.


[Edited at 2011-04-29 13:16 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 


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