Many people think that interpreting and translating are the same profession. They are in fact quite different. Translators deal with the written word, interpreters with speech. Translators are skilled at writing, keep close to the original text and can take time to come up with the ideal translation. Interpreters have good communication skills and use their intuition, flexibility and quick reactions to come up with a translation for anything that is said, virtually instantaneously, without notice. Most interpreters and translators are university-educated, and they often specialise in a number of fields.
