Translate vs. Transcribe — What's the Difference?

To render words or text from one language to another.

To note down music or other audio.

To express the sense of words or text in another language.

To convert audio into a text document.

To decode or interpret information.

To write down or record spoken words.

To adapt cultural content for different audiences.

To make a written copy of dictated or recorded speech.

To perform linguistic conversion.

To document verbal communication accurately.

To render in another language

To make a full written or typewritten copy of (dictated material, for example).

To express in different, often simpler words

(Computers) To transfer (information) from one recording and storing system to another.

To change from one form, function, or state to another; convert or transform

To adapt or arrange (a composition) for a voice or instrument other than the original.

To express in another medium

To translate (a composition) from one notational system to another.

To transfer from one place or condition to another

To reduce (live or recorded music) to notation.

To forward or retransmit (a telegraphic message).

To record, usually on tape, for broadcast at a later date.

(Ecclesiastical) To transfer (a bishop) to another see.

(Linguistics) To represent (speech sounds) by phonetic symbols.

To convey to heaven without death.

To translate or transliterate.

(Physics) To subject (a body) to translation.

(Biology) To cause (DNA) to undergo transcription.

(Biology) To subject (messenger RNA) to translation.

To convert a representation of language, typically speech but also sign language, etc., to a written representation of it. The term now usually implies the conversion of speech to text by a human transcriptionist with the assistance of a computer for word processing and sometimes also for speech recognition, the process of a computer interpreting speech and converting it to text.

To make a translation.

(dictation) To make such a conversion from live or recorded speech to text.

To work as a translator.

(computing) To transfer data from one recording medium to another.

To admit of translation

(music) To adapt a composition for a voice or instrument other than the original; to notate live or recorded music.

To be changed or transformed in effect. Often used with into or to

(biochemistry) To cause DNA to undergo transcription.

Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.

(linguistics) To represent speech by phonetic symbols.

(transitive) To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another.

To write over again, or in the same words; to copy; as, to transcribe Livy or Tacitus; to transcribe a letter.

(intransitive) To provide a translation of spoken words or written text in another language; to be, or be capable of being, rendered in another language.

Write out from speech, notes, etc.;

(transitive) To express spoken words or written text in a different (often clearer or simpler) way in the same language; to paraphrase, to rephrase, to restate.

Rewrite in a different script;

(transitive) To change (something) from one form or medium to another.

Rewrite or arrange a piece of music for an instrument or medium other than that originally intended

(intransitive) To change, or be capable of being changed, from one form or medium to another.

Make a phonetic transcription of;

To generate a chain of amino acids based on the sequence of codons in an mRNA molecule.

Convert the genetic information in (a strand of DNA) into a strand of RNA, especially messenger RNA

Senses relating to a change of position.

To move (something) from one place or position to another; to transfer.

To t=place in a trance, to cause to lose recollection or sense.

(analysis) In Euclidean spaces: a set of points obtained by adding a given fixed vector to each point of a given set.

To bear, carry, or remove, from one place to another; to transfer; as, to translate a tree.

To change to another condition, position, place, or office; to transfer; hence, to remove as by death.

To remove to heaven without a natural death.

To remove, as a bishop, from one see to another.

To render into another language; to express the sense of in the words of another language; to interpret; hence, to explain or recapitulate in other words.

To change into another form; to transform.

To cause to remove from one part of the body to another; as, to translate a disease.

To cause to lose senses or recollection; to entrance.

To make a translation; to be engaged in translation.

Restate (words) from one language into another language;

Change from one form or medium into another;

Make sense of a language;

Bring to a certain spiritual state

Change the position of (figures or bodies) in space without rotation

Be equivalent in effect;

Be translatable, or be translatable in a certain way;

Physics: subject to movement in which every part of the body moves parallel to and the same distance as every other point on the body

Express, as in simple and less technical langauge;

Genetics: determine the amino-acid sequence of a protein during its synthesis by using information on the messenger RNA

Technology, especially machine translation tools like Google Translate, helps automate and speed up the translation process, although human oversight is often still necessary for accuracy.

Books, websites, legal documents, educational materials, and media are commonly translated to reach broader audiences.

Transcription is frequently used in legal proceedings, medical consultations, academic research, and media production.

Formal qualifications aren't always required, but certifications in specific types of transcription, like medical or legal, can improve job opportunities and reliability.

A professional transcriber can typically transcribe at a rate of 15 to 20 minutes of audio per hour of work, depending on audio quality and the speaker's clarity.

Technologies such as speech recognition software facilitate the transcription process by automatically converting speech into text, though human transcribers are needed for refining and accuracy.

The time to translate a book can vary widely depending on the book's length, complexity, and the translator’s expertise, typically ranging from several months to a year.

Translators often use localization to adapt idioms and cultural references to be understandable and relevant to the target culture, sometimes replacing them with equivalent expressions.

While not always mandatory, certifications from organizations like the American Translators Association can enhance a translator’s credibility and job prospects.

One of the biggest challenges is maintaining the original tone, style, and nuance of the source material while making it accessible and culturally relevant to the target audience.

English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and French are among the most frequently translated languages due to their large numbers of speakers and global influence.

Yes, real-time transcription services, such as CART (Communication Access Real-time Translation), are available for live events, providing instant text versions of spoken words.

Tips include using high-quality recording equipment, becoming familiar with the subject matter, using software tools effectively, and regularly reviewing and correcting the transcript.

Transcribers must maintain confidentiality, particularly in legal and medical settings, and ensure accurate representation of all recorded speech without alteration.

Cultural differences can significantly affect translation by altering how concepts, norms, and values are expressed; translators must be culturally aware to avoid misinterpretations.