[Laura Sewall]

When I read this question I got so excited to answer it!

Working as a translator and studying translation since January has taught me that a translator doesn’t translate word for word, and that translation is not literal. A translation can change the words as long as the meaning is still there. You can change it for the purpose of making the translation natural and clear for your specific audience.

Now, from what I understand about interpretation, although I haven’t technically studied interpretation yet, it does have to be more literal. It’s like an actress who interprets a character. She has to interpret exactly who that character is, and if she has specific lines, she also has to interpret those exact lines. She can’t change what is being said. An interpreter is basically the voice of that person, so they cannot change what the person is saying just to make it sound more natural or exact in their own language, even if the original expression doesn’t sound natural in the target language.

So, I think that is one of the biggest differences. As a translator, you’re trying to make a version of that material or video that will appeal to the audience while still maintaining the tone and meaning of the original narrator. You can make changes in the order of the sentences or in the way that you say something for the benefit of your audience. With interpretation, however, you have to maintain what the person is saying as accurately as possible.

Another major difference is that translation can involve written material, while interpretation is oral. A translator can take their time, pause, research, and think about which words or expressions would be the most natural in the target language. An interpreter doesn’t have that same opportunity. They have to process the information and communicate it almost immediately.

The biggest challenge of translation, in my opinion, is making the specific material you’re translating, touch other people’s hearts while also sounding natural in your target language. For example, if something is funny in the original language, you want it to be funny in your target language too. If something is sad in the original language, you want the audience to feel that same sadness in the target language. Sometimes you have to change sentence structure, do a lot of research, and think carefully about which words and expressions would or wouldn’t be natural in your target language.

As for interpretation, I believe the main challenge is remembering and processing everything that is being said while consistently interpreting.You have to respond very quickly, and you can’t leave out information. Everything that the speaker says is important, even the tone and way the person said something.

I believe it is very important to understand that an interpreter is not a translator because the two professions require different skills and approaches. If you don’t understand that difference, you could make the mistake of treating interpretation the same way you would treat translation. A translator has more freedom to adapt the material for the target audience, while an interpreter has to communicate the speaker’s message accurately and immediately. Understanding this difference is important because both professionals are responsible for making sure that the original message is communicated correctly, but they do it in very different ways.

I could go on and on. I love this topic! Excited to talk about this with the other students.
—Laura Sewall.

[Laura Sewall]

Good afternoon friends!

My name is Laura. I was born in Rhode Island, but lived in MA and GA throughout my school years, which is where I learned how to speak Spanish. My dad is from New Hampshire and his name is Ken. People often joke saying that my mom´s name should be Barbie, and I find that to be so funny. My mom´s name is Michelle and she is from Minas Gerais, Brazil. I once saw a quote that said: “made by mom and dad” and I could not relate more to it. It is only thanks to my parents that I am able to speak native English and native Brazilian Portuguese since I was born. We´re always moving back and forth from each country but we are currently living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was a decision my parents made a few years ago because they wanted to simplify their life and live by the beach. We live in the country side of Rio so it is actually super safe and beautiful.

The idea to become a medical interpreter started in 2024 when a friend (that is now my boyfriend) suggested I look into this profession. But the initial desire to be an interpreter started long ago. Speaking and interpreting two languages has always been a part of who I am. Although my parents are bilingual, I have always had to help translating something between them in conversations. This came in handy when a new Brazilian student arrived at my school. My teachers would always ask if anyone spoke Brazilian Portuguese and I would always proudly raise my hand and say: “I do! I speak Portuguese!”. Then the teacher would assign me to be that student’s official interpreter for every class we had — until they eventually learned English. I did not know it back then, but I was doing a mix of simultaneous and consecutive interpreting.

I was enjoyed reading fictional books and I started reading them in Portuguese after I moved to Brazil. I believe this secretly prepared me for being able to achieve a dream that always had — to be a volunteer translator. After an unexpected invitation from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society I took a translation course and lived there for a few months translating all sorts of materials — both oral and written. I am still working for them as a volunteer translator, and seeing how much it touches people´s hearts to understand something in their mother tongue, made me sure of what I wanted as a career. The thought of becoming a medical interpreter has been on my mind since that first year I discovered about it. My mom told me about times where she would need to go to appointments by herself and how it was not scary because she knew she would have an interpreter to help her. That touched my heart and moved me to do my best today to be that person for someone else as well.

Sorry if I shared a lot, I am just so passionate about languages and translation!!
Thanks to everyone who stuck with me until this point. I look forward to learn from everyone in these next few weeks.

Best, Laura.

[Author]

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