Interpretation vs. Translation. What is the difference?

Do I need a Translator or Interpreter?

Do I have the right to an interpreter in court? Right to an interpreter in a criminal prosecution: The concept of "Linguistic Presence"

Why are we asking for a donation for translating?

Interpretation vs. Translation. What is the difference?
Do I need a Translator or Interpreter?

It is only in the world of the professional Interpreter/Translator that a distinction is made between Translator and Interpreter. Translators transfer content from one language (source language) to another (target language) in written form, interpreters in oral form. Both are committed to the same accuracy and integrity of the information they translate from one language to another. As we see in the following article:
The terms translation and interpretation are often confused by laypersons, as evidenced by the all-too-frequent caption on television news stories, "voice of translator." The term translation "refers to the general process of converting a message from one language to another" and also, more specifically "to the written form of that process," whereas interpretation "denotes the oral form of the translation process" (Gonz·lez et al., Fundamentals of Court Interpretation 1991: 295). Thus, the study of interlingual communication, commonly known as translation theory, encompasses interpretation as well. Translation has been the subject of philosophical discussions for centuries. Robinson (Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 1991: 68) traces the debate between free (meaning-based) and literal translation back to Cicero's time, but notes that most writers were advocating free translation even then. Many of the first written translations were of religious texts, and there was some controversy about whether the Holy Scriptures could be translated faithfully if the structure of the original message was altered in any way. Snell-Hornby (1988) also examines the dichotomy between word and sense in historical debates on Bible translation, in which purists argued that the word of God had to be translated literally. She quotes one writer as saying that a word-for-word translation is like "dancing on ropes with fettered legs" (Snell-Hornby, 1988: 11)
As adapted from an article by Holly Mikkelson. © Holly Mikkelson Papers for Court Interpreters

Right to an interpreter in a criminal prosecution: The concept of "Linguistic Presence"

For a defendant to be assured his due process rights, all the information regarding his case should be available to him in a language he understands. In the case of some defendants, this is not possible without an interpreter. This issue has been perceived by some courts as an issue of "linguistic presence," because "without an interpreter, many limited- or non-English-speaking persons are not legally present in the courtroom." (Gonz·lez, V·squez, Mikkelson, Fundamentals of Court Interpretation, Durham: Carolina Academic Press, 1991, p. 49) The Court Interpreters Act of 1978, amended 1988, 28 U.S.C. ß1827-1828, provides for the use of certified interpreters in judicial proceedings instituted by the United States

Why we are asking for a donation for translating

Translation and interpretation are an art form. Many bilingual people can translate the meaning of a word from one language into another. At HebrewInterpreter.com we strive to give you more. If there's more than one meaning, a cultural difference or anything else we can think of, we will let you know.
Many times a day we find ourselves answering "How do you say (just this one word) in Hebrew?." Although to you this may be "just one word" when you multiply that by tens of questions an hour you will see that much of our time is spent answering questions. We try and help in any way we can and that is the reason for the request.
It is our belief that a donation of just $25 (for a job that would cost you more if you hired a translator) is a small price to pay for satisfaction - your satisfaction. Proceeds from your donations to HebrewInterpreter.com will benefit charitable facilities in Israel.