Okay, before you take issue with the title, which we will get to in a moment, here is a wonderful story about the power of multilingualism. A young girl saves the life of her nephew simply because she is fluent in 2 languages. If this fails to impress upon people the importance of learning languages, then nothing will!

Click here to view the video on MSNBC

As for this brave girl, I bet she could someday work in the translation or interpretation industry if she chooses to.

Now, about that title “…Translator Interpreter”. The news reporter refers to the heroic act of this person as “translation”, when in fact it is “interpretation.” There is a fundamental difference between the two, and confusing them is akin to calling an air traffic controller a pilot because they both work with planes.

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

About the Author
Ivan Vandermerwe is the CEO of SAECULII YK, the owner of Translation Services Agency Japan, Tokyo. Visit SAECULII for the latest professional articles and news on Japanese Translation Service

Copyright (C) SAECULII YK. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this article is permitted with inclusion of the "About the Author" reference as is (including text links, japan-translators.saeculii.com/english/services/japanese-translation-services.cfm), and this copyright information. Articles may not be altered without written permission from SAECULII YK.