Advice on Working as a Language Specialist

Translation and interpretation are two different occupations that can be pursued by a language professional. Often, a person with knowledge of, and proficiency in one or more foreign languages will work in both translating and interpreting, but these are different professions involving different sets of abilities. 

Translation

Translating is converting text from one language to another, and therefore focuses on language in its written form. A translator takes a document written in the source language, reads and understands it, and then re-writes the document in the target language. 

Interpretation 

Interpretation involves verbal communications - listening to, and understanding what is said in one language and then verbally expressing it in another language. Interpretation is broken down between:
· Simultaneous interpretation, which involves converting what is being said in a meeting, presentation, seminar or other type of communication forum, into the target language at the same time the speaker is talking, with a very short lag, practically anticipating what the speaker is going to say.
· Consecutive interpretation, which is listening and comprehending what the speaker is saying, in short blocks of speech, and then converting what was said into the target language. 

Language Combinations

A translator most often translates from a secondary language to his or her native language. This is generally due to language nuances that are learned from birth, and that are assimilated and internalized over a lifetime. A translator can be very adept at comprehending a secondary language, but is normally more comfortable, and is better at writing in his or her native language. There are exceptions, and some translators are equally capable of drafting text well, in both a native language and a learned language. Interpreters are probably more flexible in switching between languages, although a similar tendency toward converting from a secondary language to a native language can be observed. 

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