"Do you have an interpreter? I have a certificate that I need to be translated to Chinese."
Working for a translation and interpretation company, we usually have clients who confuse one to the other. This is very apparent especially here in the Philippines where translation and interpretation are not popular fields yet.
As the Monterey Institute of International Studies defines the two in their documentary on the life of an interpreter, the difference is indeed "very basic." In the words of Iciar Gomez, an experienced Translator/Interpreter, "Interpretation is ORAL [while] Translation is WRITTEN."
However, Nancy Nicholson of Cambridge University eplains that "Many scholars and practitioners (the terms are not mutually exclusive), however, choose the generic 'translation' to include both oral and written product, some referring more specifically to 'interpretation' as 'oral translation' and to 'simultaneous interpretation' as 'simultaneous translation.'"
No matter how the two terms are loosely used, it still pays to know the basic difference between them.
Kinds of Interpretation
Knowing the difference between the two is not enough though. In the case of Interpretation, it is important to now the nature of the request to determine whether Simultaneous, Consecutive, Guide/Accompanying or Whisper Interpretation is needed.
Simultaneous interpretation, from the name itself, is interpreting messages simultaneously or at the same time. It usually requires the use of an interpreter's booth and headset for the client. This kind of service is mostly done for big conferences or in occasions where immediate relaying of message is needed such as in international media coverages and 'multi-lingual meetings'. Two interpreters usually alternate the work every after 30 minutes as this involves a lot of concentration and non-stop processing of messages.
Consecutive, on the other hand, requires the linguist to sit or stand, whatever the case may be, beside the guests who need the service. The interpreter delivers the message afer the speaker finishes talking. For accuracy, notes are taken down. The usual interval is after every 15 minutes, where the speaker pauses while his message is being interpreted. This type of service is usually used for events with smaller number of guests, interviews, or for instances where the use of simultaneous interpretation equipment is an inconvenience or may not be possible.
As for Guide/Accompanying, this usually applies to informal settings and/or may simply need the interpreter to assist the guest for whatever business he may have. Exhibits and Trade events usually require this service.
Lastly, Whisper interpretation is normally seen in short meetings where the interpreter sits beside the delegate or guest and whispers the messages. It may sound easy however, it can be as tedious as simultaneous interpretation is and may be uncomfortable or exhausting for the guest as well.
From the things mentioned, interpretation, regardless of its kind, requires a lot of concentration, quick processing of information, and fluency on the language pair they cater to. As Gomez puts it, "You are not a parrot. You have to listen to the speaker. You have to assimilate what the speaker is saying. You have to process it, transfer it to another language, say it, and [make sure that your delivery is gramatically and factually correct]."
She concludes, "The better you are, the more invisible you are. They don't realize that you are one of the main actors in the whole scene and without you that wouldn't be able to happen."
Translation as a Profession
As compared to Interpretation, Translation is a more 'relaxed' kind of job, although this does not mean it is any easier. Since the translator deals with documents and not with a live person, he has the chance to go back and correct any errors on his work. Accuracy can be guaranteed at 100% with the time given to them to translate and proofread.
This profession, however, goes beyond one's knowledge of certain language pairs. As documents for a wide variey of topics may be worked on, expertise and professional background are usually required. This specifically applies to translation of Medical, Technical, Engineering and Legal documents.
There are instances though that translators get claims from their clients over the use of certain terms. Since translation is not an exact Science, there are words, terms, and phrases which may be translated in various ways. It is in this case that both parties need to discuss properly the guidelines in every project.
One of the perks of this is that you can do it freelance while having a full time job or better yet, if you hate to be confined in the office, you can also be a full time freelancer. With the growing demand for globalization, more and more businesses want to connect to various cultures across all continents. A lot of translation agencies are constantly looking for linguists to fill in their equally growing number of projects.
Philippines: Language Services at Present
In the Philippines, where Filipino and English are widely used, language services are not usually needed. However, with the foreign investors, exchange students and tourists going to the country and even OFWs seeking fortune overseas, the need for translation and interpretation is being realized.
Private clients usually need their certificates, employment papers, clearances, diplomas etc. to be translated to the language of the country they will go to. Meanwhile, corporate clients require their website to be seen in different languages, also known as Website Localization, or their brochures, company profiles, contracts and other marketing materials to cater to different nationalities. This is where a translation agency or translation company steps in.
-- The writer, Yvonne Javier is a project manager of Lexcode Inc. For inquiries, you may reach her at yvonne.j@lexcode.com -- YJ
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