Many people confuse the word translation with transcription and vice versa. While the two words have similarities, they are different and should not be used interchangeably.
Transcription refers to documenting a spoken language into a written format. The source of a transcription job may be sign language, audio, and video formats, or even written (pdf) files. In transcription, a spoken sentence is written in the same language and not converted into another. Transcription may be done verbatim or with various editing forms for readability and conciseness.
On the other hand, translation is transforming spoken language into another language.
When an English sentence is transformed into German and any different language, the process is called translation.
In terms of language services, clients who submit an audio recording for transcription may expect a written document containing the text of the recorded document. However, when the client asks for a German translation of an English article, he can expect a written manuscript that converted the document into German.
People need translation and transcription for many purposes. A recorded interview, for instance, may be transcribed to serve as a future reference by people speaking the same language. It can also benefit those with hearing disabilities to understand the interview.
On the other hand, translation enables people who speak a different language to understand what the interview contains.
Therefore, transcription does not work in any language not used in the source file. If a source file contains a speech in the French language, the transcribed document will also be in French. In translation, however, a translator skilled in the source and translation language translates the source file into its exact equivalent in another language. Transcription requires mastery of the source language, while translation requires excellent knowledge of both source and final languages.
Therefore, a translator can be a transcriptionist, but the opposite doesn't hold in most instances.
The Spanish Group provides transcription and translation services in more than ninety languages. Its language experts worldwide come from the top translators and transcribers in different fields. We have the best language experts in legal, academic, medical, and other areas. We always have language experts on duty to provide the best services. Therefore, we can start working on our clients' documents as soon as they complete the check out on the order page. We usually deliver our work within two days, depending on the length of the source documents. However, clients who have an urgent need for the final paper can receive the final output on the same business day.
The best way to determine how fast we can deliver to our clients is by calling our 24-hour helplines. We have professional customer service professionals who happily guide our customers through the entire process.
What are you waiting for? Go to our checkout page today and get a quotation for our services.