Machine translation refers to any kind of translation performed by translation software, hand-held translators, and online translators, such as Babel Fish.   Machine translation is extremely poor in quality, since it cannot provide for the complexities of the source and target languages.   It is useful for obtaining a general idea about the content of a text and deciding whether to have it translated by a human translator.  For more on this topic, see How Well Does Computer Translation Work?

Medical interpretation

Interpretation during medical conventions, continuing medical education seminars, medical equipment demonstrations, teaching of new surgical procedures, etc.

Medical interpreter

A highly skilled interpreter with knowledge of medical procedures and specialties, who interprets during medical conventions, continuing medical education seminars,  medical equipment demonstrations, teaching of new surgical procedures, etc.  

Not to be confused with health care interpreters, who interpret for patients during consultations with health care personnel.

Medical translation

Translation of medical texts, such as research, medical devices, medical equipment manuals, books, patents, etc.

Medical translator

A translator who specializes in the translation of medical texts, such as research, medical devices, medical equipment manuals, books, patents, etc.

Mobile booth

A mobile booth is an interpreting booth that can be assembled and disassembled and which is set up in meeting rooms when needed, as opposed to a fixed booth, which is built permanently into some conference centers.  See also ISO Standards for Mobile Booths.

Mobile simultaneous interpreting

Interpretation using a small wireless transmitter.  The interpreter  whispers into a microphone attached to the transmitter and the participants listen through headphones attached to receivers. 

The advantage of this system is that it is mobile and can handle more participants than whisper interpretation.  The disadvantages, as for whisper interpretation, are that it does not permit sound isolation or amplification, and it is very taxing for the interpreter.  It is designed for touring trade shows, factories, plants, etc.   It can also be used for brief presentations, press conferences, etc.  See also simultaneous interpreting without a booth.

Mother tongue

A good example of a literal translation.  In English we say native language. 

Multipart translation

It is crucial for a translation with multiple components to be approached and managed as an integrated whole.  See more about this topic in Multipart Translations.

Native language

The first language learned by a person, which may or may not be the person’s dominant language or language of primary competence.  Native speakers can have a grossly inadequate knowledge of their native language, particularly when they have been brought up and educated in a country where a language other than their native language is spoken.  

Native language competence

Oral and written command of a language equivalent to that of a person born, educated, and living in the country where that language is spoken. 

Native speaker

A person who speaks the first language he or she learned, which may or may not be the person’s dominant language or language of primary competence.  Native speakers can have a grossly inadequate knowledge of their native language, depending on their education and the country  where that education was obtained. 

For example, a person born in Mexico who immigrated to the United States as a child and received all his education here, is a native speaker of Spanish but will have a very limited knowledge of that language;  his dominant language will be English. 

Neutrality

In the context of translation, it refers to the concept that establishes that the translator’s or interpreter’s job is to convey the meaning of the source text or speaker’s discourse, and under no circumstances may he or she allow personal opinion to tinge the translation or interpretation.

Over-the-ear headset

These are actually earphones with a plastic loop that hooks around the ear.  Please click here for more information.

Passive languages

The languages from which an interpreter is competent to interpret professionally.   The term is also used in meetings & conventions to mean the languages from which interpreting is provided. 

For example, in a meeting where all presentations are given in English and interpretation is provided into Spanish, French, and Russian, English is the passive language and Spanish, French, and Russian the active languages.

Per-word rate

Industry standard for assessing cost of a translation.  The per-word rate can be quoted based on the source word count (original text) or the target word count (translated text).  Since there can be enormous differences in source and target word counts, depending on the languages involved, when comparing estimates for a translation be sure that the per-word rates you are comparing specify either source or target text. 

Project Manager

(1) In a translation company, this is the person responsible for total translation project management.  (2)  In international companies, this title is sometimes given to the person who supervises in-house translators, hires freelancers, and manages translations. 

Proofreading

When typesetting a translated text, it is advisable to let the  translator who performed the translation proofread the typeset document, especially when the text is written in a language foreign to the typesetter.

Radio frequency interpretation equipment

Interpretation equipment that transmits sound over radio frequencies, usually called RF.  RF systems consist of a transmitter and a receiver.  The advantages of RF interpretation systems are their ease of installation, reliability, and wide range.  In cases where secrecy is desired, the wide range can be a disadvantage, as a person with a receiver tuned to the proper frequency can sometimes hear perfectly from as far away as 500 yards , or more, even from a different building.  Radio frequency systems are also more susceptible to radio interference than infrared interpretation equipment.   Click here for more information.

Receiver

A radio receiver or infrared receiver used to tune into the interpretation.  They are just like small pocket radios, except that they are wired to operate only in the specific frequencies assigned to the interpretation equipment.  In order to hear, the interpreters' equipment must be operational and a headphone or earphone must be plugged into the receiver.

Relay

In simultaneous interpretation, this refers to interpreting from an interpretation, not directly from the speaker, and it is used when an interpreter does not know the language of the speaker. 

This is how it works:  The first interpreter interprets into his target language.  The second interpreter listens to the first interpreter and  interprets into her target language.   Click on the link to see a drawing of a common relay configurations.

Relay harms quality, increases the risk of errors, and slows down the interpretation.  For this reason, except in the case of rare languages, simultaneous interpreters hired for a meeting or convention must be able to interpret from all of its source languages.

Revising

Reading a text to identify errors, inconsistencies, incorrect grammar and  punctuation, poor or inappropriate style, and, in the case of a translation, conformance with the source text, and making appropriate changes and  corrections to the text. In general, the number of revision stages is  proportional to the demands on the text quality: a translation intended for  publication may, for example, be revised by the translator and by one or two   third parties (e.g. the author, a subject expert, a second translator, an   editor), whereas an internal memo may not require any revision after translation. (What exactly revising and editing entail and how they differ is  the subject of much debate. What is important is that the person commissioning the work communicates clearly what is expected of the editor.)

RF interpretation equipment

Interpretation equipment that transmits sound over radio frequencies, usually called RF.  RF systems consist of a transmitter and a receiver.  The advantages of RF interpretation systems are their ease of installation, reliability, and wide range.  In cases where secrecy is desired, the wide range can be a disadvantage, as a person with a receiver tuned to the proper frequency can sometimes hear perfectly from as far away as 500 yards, even from a different building.  Radio frequency systems are also more susceptible to radio interference than infrared interpretation equipment.  Click here for more information.