Here's a fantastic story about a girl using interpretation to save somebody’s life. This child is a real hero!

Take a look at this short video on MSNBC

Without subtracting from the wonderful job this child did, I want to draw attention to the news report itself. You would have noticed repeated use of the term “translation” in the clip. This is, in fact, incorrect! The appropriate term to use is “interpretation”. These are similar in the sense they both concern language, yet very different in the way language is used.

Confusing translation and interpretation is like using air traffic controller and pilot interchangeably simply because they both work with planes. Fact is, both are essential yet very different tasks. Translation and interpretation is no different.

Kind of makes one cringe to think that the folks in the media, who hold such sway over the airways, are pretty clueless….

Click here to beef up on the difference between translation and interpretation

About the Author
Ivan Vandermerwe is the CEO of SAECULII YK (Tokyo Japan), the owner of SAECULII Interpretation Company, Japan (Tokyo). Visit SAECULII for the latest professional articles and news on English Japanese interpretation services

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