Interpreting and translating involves rendering information and ideas from one language to another. Interpreters are concerned with the spoken word. Translators are concerned with the written word.

TYPES OF INTERPRETING

There are three main types of interpreting used in the world:

• Simultaneous interpreting, typically used at international conferences where personal headphones are used, and interpreting is conducted into numbers of languages simultaneously, each with a different interpreter. In such circumstances, delegates often present prepared papers and these can sometimes be made available to the interpreters ahead of time to assist in their preparation. However this is not always the case. Simultaneous translation is not used very often in Australia.

• Chuchotage, a term used to refer to the kind of interpretation where an interpreter ‘whispers’ simultaneous translation to a single client.

• Sequential translation, the type of translation most widely used for community and business purposes.

In all types of interpreting, the interpreter is expected to represent what the speaker says and to speak in the first person, for example I went to the city, not He says that he went to the city.

PRIMACY OF THE MOTHER TONGUE

Best practice suggests that translators and interpreters should preferably translate into their mother tongue. For example, if you want something translated from English to Mandarin, a native speaker of Mandarin would probably be better for the job, whereas if you wanted something translated from Mandarin to English a native English speaker would probably be better; all other things being equal.