Translator and interpreter – what’s the difference?

A translator changes words from one language to another, while an interpreter helps people talk to each other in real time.

Imagine you have a favorite toy that makes sounds, beep, boop, blorp. Now, your friend has the same toy but it speaks a different language. A translator is like someone who writes down what your toy says and changes it into your friend’s language so they can read it later.

But if you both want to play together right now, talking and listening as you go, then an interpreter is like a helper who stands between you and your friend, saying what each of you says in the other’s language, all at once. It's like having a live conversation that happens in two languages at the same time.

So, both do similar things, but one works with written words and takes more time, while the other helps with spoken words as they happen right then.