Translation and interpretation: what are the differences?

Translation and Interpreting present themselves as similar services. Both adopt the purpose of transposition of texts or speeches from a language (source language) to another (target language). Regardless this scenario, both services show characteristics that set them apart. 

The difference between these services arises mainly from the way they are provided:  Translation is written and Interpreting, by its turn, is spoken. 

Time and volume are two other facts which differentiate both services. Interpreters work converting an oral speech in real time in a language into another, working as a connection between people that communicate orally in different languages. These professionals must have spontaneity of expression and knowledge of everyday expressions, as well as of the matter, including at terminology level. It is also important a great capacity of concentration and memory, auditory training and quick understanding of the oral speeches, in order to convey all the information. In face of this, in the world of interpreting there is no chance of editing or reviewing. 

Translators, on their turn, translate texts from several areas, carrying out a process of reading and understanding the original text, which results in the capture of its sense and then proceeding to the translation, by writing. Time is programmed and depends on the requirements and available capacity. They should make a self-review at the end, even if the result proceeds to Editing by a second professional, Proofreading or any other procedure. Especially in the case of technical and dedicated translation, they must have knowledge of the field, as well as terminological support and reference material, with a view to accuracy and consistency.

In this way, professionals in the translation world work with a limited number of words depending on the article, while interpreting professionals deal with a quantity of words that are constantly produced by the speaker. 

So, the important thing is to consider the main purpose, in order to know which service to hire. When thinking about publishing a text in another language, we talk about Translation. If we think about oral communication in real time, we talk about Interpreting. Nevertheless, both translators and interpreters, besides specific training and experience, need to know deeply the languages they work with, and perfectly their native language, to which they convey contents and messages.