Legal Interpreting VS Translating & How They're Different

Legal interpreting and legal translating are closely related professions... but are they the same? It is every language professional's job to facilitate communication between their client and the other party. This "other party" could be a judge, who is overseeing your client's immigration case. Or it could be a lawyer for another type of legal proceeding.

Whatever the case might be, both the legal interpreter and the legal translator work to ensure their client receives accurate information, in a language they can understand. In the United States, most of their clients are Limited English Proficient (LEP). Which means the legal translator or legal interpreter must have an expert-level understanding of the English language and whatever language their client speaks.

In what ways are these careers different? Are there other ways in which they are similar? Keep reading to find out!

Here's what a legal interpreting career involves...

About the job:

Legal interpreters work in real-time to bridge the divide between parties who speak different languages. They work hard to ensure that spoken messages are translated accurately. Along with the tone, intent and emotion of each utterance. Whether working involves court interpreting or client meetings, they provide language justice to a largely underserved population. Particularly because interpreters possess exceptional listening and speaking skills. In addition to cultural sensitivity that is not guaranteed without them present.

About the training:

The process of becoming a certified legal interpreter is long and involves dedication and continuous learning. Our 45-hour, 7-week online legal interpreting training course is taught by expert instructors, through our LIVE video conference webinar portal. By structuring all of our interpreter training courses this way, we intentionally provide our students with the highest quality online instruction available. Simply because we believe learning should involve human interaction, rather than through a book. Our legal interpreting course teaches students the fundamentals, ethics, techniques and approaches to be successful.

Here's what a legal translating career looks like...

About the job:

Unlike legal interpreting, legal translating may not happen face-to-face. Translating involves converting written text from one language to another. It requires a whole set of different skills and techniques from interpreting. And you might think there can't be that much difference between the two careers... But they are completely different. Translation classes emphasize inference and utilizing different technologies to arrive at the intended message. Interpreting classes emphasize listening and speaking as their work happens in the moment, and on-the-spot.

About the training:

Whether you are interested in pursuing legal translating or legal interpreter training, they both require an in-depth knowledge of "legal speak." You don't have to go to law school and become a lawyer. But you do need to know basic law principles and terminology. Legal translating involves reading text in one language, deciphering the intended message. And then translating it into another language, without the intended reader knowing it was originally written in a different language. Legal translator training will teach students how to decipher context and intended meaning from written text that may be difficult to decipher.

Our online translator classes are taught by expert instructors ✅ who have real-world experience in their interpreting specialty. They have worked hard to make fully remote online courses that are unique and engaging ✅ using a hands-on approach that is unparalleled by the competition. If you or someone you know is interested in our online Medical Interpreter Training Programs with live instruction✅, our fully remote yet real time classes ✅ are offered in Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Farsi, French, Hindi, Korean, Somali, Urdu, Ukrainian languages online and onsite.