5 September 2026·5 min read

Interpreter or translator: the difference

In everyday language the terms interpreter and translator are often used interchangeably, and many enquiries ask for a translator for a court date or an interpreter for a birth certificate. What is meant is usually right, but what gets ordered is sometimes wrong. This article explains the difference between interpreting and translating, the skills and training behind each, what the Austrian job titles mean and when you need which service, including both at once.

In this article

•Two professions, two definitions
•Which skills matter for each
•Training and Austrian job titles
•When you need whom
•When you need both

Interpreter or translator: two professions, two definitions

The distinction is simple once you have heard it: translation is written, interpreting is spoken. A translator transfers a text from one language into another and delivers a document. An interpreter transfers spoken language in a specific situation, in the courtroom, in hospital, at an authority, at a conference or via video, and delivers understanding in the moment.

Both professions work with the same languages and often with the same subjects, but under completely different conditions. The translator has time, dictionaries, research and the option of revising her text. The interpreter has none of these: she listens, understands, transfers and speaks while the conversation keeps going. This results in different skills, different training and different occasions for which you need one or the other.

The Arabic German language pair makes the distinction even more important. Translation is about Modern Standard Arabic, writing direction, the spelling of names and the wording of official documents. Interpreting is about spoken language, that is, dialects from Levantine to Gulf Arabic, speaking pace and getting nuances right in both directions immediately.

Which skills matter for each

Someone who translates well does not automatically interpret well, and vice versa. Many language professionals master both, but they are two competences that are learnt and practised separately.

Translating: precise writing in the target language, terminology work, research, knowledge of the conventions for official documents and specialist texts in both countries, care with layout, stamps and annotations, and the ability to revise one's own text critically
Interpreting: fast listening comprehension even with dialect and poor acoustics, memory and note taking technique, a confident presence, the ability to listen and speak at the same time, neutrality in emotional situations and stamina over several hours
Both professions: excellent command of both languages and cultures, subject knowledge in the relevant field, confidentiality and a clear understanding of one's own role

Interpreters render everything that is said, completely and in the first person. They do not advise, do not summarise and leave nothing out. Anyone who brings an acquaintance to a medical appointment or to an authority often gets a summary, not an interpretation. That is exactly what regularly leads to misunderstandings with consequences.

Training: translation studies, conference interpreting, certification

In Austria both professions are taught at university level, above all in Graz, Vienna and Innsbruck. A bachelor's degree in transcultural communication or language mediation is usually followed by a master's in which you choose: translation or interpreting. The master's in conference interpreting is the classic training for simultaneous and consecutive interpreting and involves entrance examinations, booth practice and hundreds of hours of exercises.

I am Aliaa Azzouqa, MA, and I have completed this path in both language regions: a bachelor's degree in language mediation and translation at the German Jordanian University and a master's degree in conference interpreting at the University of Graz. This combination is why I can assess both services professionally, even though I treat the written and the spoken side separately.

Important to know: neither interpreter nor translator is a protected professional title in Austria. Anyone may use these terms. The only protected and legally regulated status is that of the generally sworn and court certified interpreter, which requires a separate examination and registration in the list kept by the Ministry of Justice.

The Austrian job titles and what they mean

On quotes, stamps and official letters you will come across several terms that are easy to confuse. This overview helps you place them.

Übersetzerin, Übersetzer (translator): written transfer of texts. Specialist translators (Fachübersetzer) additionally have a field such as law, medicine or technology.
Dolmetscherin, Dolmetscher (interpreter): spoken transfer. Community interpreters work in social, health and public authority settings, conference interpreters at congresses, delegations and negotiations.
Konferenzdolmetscher (conference interpreter): university trained for simultaneous interpreting in the booth, consecutive interpreting with notes and whispered interpreting for individual listeners. The title says nothing about being sworn in by a court.
Allgemein beeidete und gerichtlich zertifizierte Dolmetscherin or Dolmetscher (generally sworn and court certified interpreter): the legal status under the Austrian Act on Experts and Interpreters. Only these persons may issue certified translations, and courts prefer to call on them. Here the word Dolmetscher is the umbrella term and includes written translation as well.
Gerichtsdolmetscher (court interpreter): the customary short form for exactly this registration. Anyone listed as a court interpreter for Arabic can be found in the Ministry of Justice's register of court interpreters.

At Fachdolmetscher, certified translations are produced by generally sworn and court certified translators and are recognised by Austrian authorities, courts and universities. On site and video interpreting I carry out myself as a trained conference interpreter.

When you need whom

The rule of thumb is: paper needs a translator, conversation needs an interpreter. If you are unsure, think of the result you want to hold in your hand. If it is a document, order a translation. If it is an appointment that needs to be understood, book an interpreter.

Translation: birth certificate, marriage certificate, school report, diploma, driving licence, criminal record extract, power of attorney, court judgment, medical report, contract, website, application documents
Certified translation: any of the above that is submitted to an authority, a court, the registry office, a university or a notary
On site interpreting: court hearing, police interview, appointment at the youth welfare office or the immigration authority MA 35, medical consultation, hospital admission, notary appointment, wedding ceremony, parents' evening, delegation visit, conference
Remote interpreting: the same occasions via video or telephone when the need is short notice or outside Vienna and Graz

Whether the authority requires a specific qualification, such as registration as a court interpreter, differs from office to office and from procedure to procedure. Ask before the appointment so that the right person can be arranged in time.

When you need both: the registry office example

Many procedures require both services, just at different points in time. The clearest example is getting married. First you submit your documents to the registry office: birth certificate, certificate of no impediment, a divorce certificate if applicable, all as certified translations. These are checked before an appointment is even allocated. At the ceremony itself, if one of the persons involved does not understand German sufficiently, an interpreter must as a rule be present so that the declarations can be made with legal effect.

It is similar in court: the statement of claim, the judgment or the documentary evidence are translated, the hearing is interpreted. At the notary, the power of attorney or the purchase contract is translated, the signing is interpreted. For the recognition of a degree, diplomas and curricula are translated, a meeting with the recognition body is interpreted.

The practical advantage of obtaining both services from one provider: the names, terms and file numbers from the translation are known to the interpreter before the appointment begins. That saves queries during the appointment and prevents a name on paper from differing from the name used in the conversation.

Before: certified translation of the documents, allow several working days, clarify original and apostille
Appointment: request the interpreter at least two days in advance where possible, send documents beforehand
After: have minutes, decisions or judgments translated again if needed

In brief

Translators work in writing, interpreters work orally. Both need an excellent command of the languages but different skills and training. In Austria only the status of generally sworn and court certified interpreter is regulated by law, and only that status entitles a person to issue certified translations. For documents you need a translation, for appointments an interpreter, and at the registry office, in court and at the notary frequently both.

Do you need an Arabic interpreter in Vienna, Graz or via video, or a certified translation of your documents? Describe the occasion briefly and we will tell you which service fits.

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