Translator... translates written content from the original into the target language.

Interpreter... translates spoken content from the original into the target language.

Of course I also can translate from German to English. However, I am not an English native speaker and native speakers will recognise that when reading my texts. That is why you should always search for a translator who's native language is the target language of your text.

Yes, in principle you can send a request for German into English and I will draw up an offer for you. However, I recommend you to find a translator whose native language is the target language of your text. Their translations sound natural.

That depends on the field your text is from. Since I studied biology I am happy to have a look at your text from a field of biology and assess whether I have the necessary knowledge to deliver a good translation. 

However, I can not accept requests for translating content from other fields than biology, immunology and immuno-oncology since I do not possess the required knowledge to make a specialised translation. Please contact a specialised translator who offers your requested field.

To be able to do a perfect translation, a specialised translator has to possess deep knowledge of the field your text to be translated is about. Therefore, I recommend you to only hire translators who have a degree in the respective field and possess the necessary language skills, of course. It does NOT suffice to read a few books or attend one or two seminars to become a qualified specialised translator!

It always depends on the person's perspective to decide whether something is "hard to do". Translating is of high-quality and comes with risks. You must have the skill to detect even the slightest differences in meaning between very similar words and to choose the correct one for your translation. One word with a slightly different meaning than the source word can introduce a connection or causality that was not part of the original sentence. Therefore, you had to check every word you want to use for the translation and make sure that it transports the right meaning.

As a translator you have to much more than simply put words together in another language. You also need to translate the author's opinion undistorted. Often this opinion is displayed in small words or grammatical forms. You have to read all these nuances between the lines and then translate them into the target language. The same applies to the style of writing as well. 

It is also important to know for what your translation will be used. More specific - for what type of audience. For example, if a scientific article is supposed to be published in a magazine for office workers, you, as the translator, can not translate every specialised term without thinking whether the target audience is able to understand your translation when published. That means, that translators also have to adapt the target text to the target audience, however, without distorting it.

What I meant with "risk" is that mistakes in a translation can have serious consequences. Imagine there was a mistake in the manual for a technical device or in a medical report a doctor uses to decide further treatment. 

In Germany, the profession "translator" is not regulated. That means that everyone who wants to work as a translator can do so without having to have a degree or other qualifications.

Therefore, it is important that you always check the respective translator you want to hire for your translation. 

Of course, there are translators without a degree who acquired the necessary skills though years of experience. But in this case you should be able to see their qualification as a translator in ratings by clients or references.

The reason is that there is a hugh difference between "speaking or understanding a language" and "translating into this language". It is like singing to a song. When you can sing to the original - no problem. But when you have to sing to the playback version or a cappella - suddenly it is not so easy anymore.

For example: It's raining cats and dogs.

Every native speaker knows this expression. But what would for example be its German expression?

Example 2: You shall not do harm to your pet.

Example 3: You might want to take these pills with food.

Two other short examples. What would be their translation? Do you automatically know their translation in a foreign language you speak or do you have to think about it? 

Or, what is the difference between a city, town, township, hamlet and village? Or in German a Stadt, Kreisstadt, Dorf, Dörfchen and Gemeinde? 

Often there is no exact translation for specific words in the source and target language, respectively, so you have to look up the definition for both words and choose the most equivalent word.

Not to forget differences between accents of the same language such as British, American and Australian English.

pants... in American English it means "normal" pants; the British English word for "pants" is "trousers". In British English "pants" means undergarment..

tire… American spelling .

tyre… British spelling .

If you speak a foreign language you can do a simple experiment. Take a short text and translate it and ask a friend to translate this text as well. When you did not do the translation together I can promise you that your translations will be different. But that is good! Speak about the differences, try to explain why you used exactly that word and not another. Have fun :)

Certainly not! Unfortunately, this is a very popular misconception of the profession that often makes life hard for translators. Ever so often, clients consider the prices for translations as disproportional high since they do not know what really goes into a (good) translation. 

When you translate a text there are smallest nuances that readers often are not consciously aware of but that have to be carried in the translation. Translator also have to know idioms in the source and the target language or grammatical differences. For example, there is no direct expression for the German word "soll" in English. So you have to decide every time depending on the context what would be the best expression in the target language. For more examples please read the answer to the question "Why do I need a translator? I speak the target language."

That is another wide-spread misconception. Translator are NOT living dictionaries! The same goes for people who studied Biology. They can not name every plant you see. A biologist is not automatically a botanist. 

But back to translators. The characteristics of a (good) translator is notthat they can translate every word into the target language like Google Translate, but to know different meaning in different the context a word can have and to choose the right one. For example, depending on the context the clerk in German can either mean Standesbeamter, Justizbeamter, or Büroangestellter . Google Translate gives you Schreiber/in or Sachbearbeiter. Of course, these are possible meanings but always depending on context.

This question arises increasingly often. And yes, translations made by an artificial intelligence become better every day and sometimes can no longer be distinguished from a human translation. Sometimes it is quite depressing for translator how fast an Al is able to translate a text almost error-free and how long a translator works on a translation and weighs every word. However, the key word here is almost error-free.An now the human translator gets involved. Human translators posses emotional intelligence an AI does not. Humans an feel a sentence. Sometime only a small word can make the difference between a neutral sentence and an offensive one. Often there is meaning that you have to get from between the lines transferring the actual meaning. Until now, an AI can not read between the lines and especially is not able to translate emotional messages from between the line. And that is where mistakes can occur. I admit that these mistakes are rare but please think about this: you have the speech of a politician that will determine the future relationship of two countries. Would take a translation by an AI or a human translator? 

I admit, this example was quite dramatic and there are many texts an AI can translate without serious consequences if there was a mistake. However, when it comes to specialised translations a human translator should always at least proof read the AI's translation.