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   ENGLISH_TUTOR      English Tutoring for Students of the Eng      4,347 messages   

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   Message 3,781 of 4,347   
   Ardith Hinton to Alexander Koryagin   
   Anecdotes about translators   
   04 Nov 21 23:52:17   
   
   MSGID: 1:153/716.0 184bc360   
   REPLY: 2:221/6.0 617fb190   
   CHRS: IBMPC 2   
   Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Stas Mishchenkov:   
      
   ak>  please, I am a translator."   
      
   SM>  Should it be "an interpreter"?   
      
   AK>  I believe both words are correct, but they have a bit    
   AK>  different meaning.    
      
   AK>  If you interpret a phrase or something you actually    
   AK>  explain it. For instance, we can interpret the events    
   AK>  in Ukraine, according to our point of view.   
      
      
               If the interpreter is expected to demystify what someone is saying   
   as quickly as they can say it, the result could be more of an explanation than   
   what I'd prefer if I'm hoping to read WAR AND PEACE in English.  As for what's   
   going on in SomePlace Else, we may get closest to the truth by comparing input   
   from a variety of people who live there & in other parts of the world....  :-)   
      
      
      
   AK>  If you translate you take one form of something and    
   AK>  change it into another form.   
      
      
               Yet I notice that when you translate written material into English   
   you behave in much the same way a professional translator would.  You take the   
   time to look things up & discuss with others whether e.g. "satchel" conveys to   
   them what the word means to you, because such details are very important.  :-)   
      
      
      
   AK>  Some people tell that an interpreter is a person who works    
   AK>  with the spoken word, whereas a translator works with the    
   AK>  written word.    
      
      
               Lionbridge.com explains the differences quite well.  The situation   
   as I see it is much like what I see WRT music.  To a student of music history,   
   "classical music" means a particular style composed during a particular era...   
   to the average person, the meaning is much broader.  In this case my choice of   
   words depends on how much I believe the audience knows about the subject.  :-Q   
      
      
      
   AK>  But it IMHO sounds funny because of course an interpreter    
   AK>  can translate a written text too.   
      
      
               Uh-huh.  While some folks choose to specialize in one or the other   
   their preference may depend on their learning style & on how they were taught.   
   AFAIC your use of the word "translator" may be justified in this story if it's   
   what the director thinks he understands &/or if he's surprised to learn that a   
   person whose job description is xxx is capable of doing yyy as well... [grin].   
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
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