What’s the difference between translation and interpreting?

Translating, in the broadest sense, means transposing text or speech  from one language (the source language) into another (the target Language).

Translation and interpreting are often confused, but they are different jobs. Translators work with the written word, while interpreters work with the spoken word.

Translators have to write texts that convey the message and content of the originai document and are grammatical and readable in the target Language.

Translators must understand all the shades of meaning of the source language so that they can reproduce it as faithfully and naturally as possible in the target language.

Faithful translation and interpretation respect both the intention of the author or speaker and the spirit of the target language.

Interpreters provide spoken versions that convey, in another language, the content and intentions of the statements by the original speaker.

Unlike translators, interpreters are seen by their customers. They make face-toface communica tion possible. They identify with the speaker by speaking in the first person. They present the speaker's ideas and convictions with the same intensity and the same shades of meaning.