Interpreters and Commentators

Interpreters and Commentators Interpreters and Commentators Interpreters and Commentators By Maeve Maddox Mike Feeney overheard a business owner repeatedly [mention] that they would be using an â€Å"interpretator† and has asked for a post on interpreter/interpretator and commenter and commentator interpreter: one who interprets or explains; one who translates languages. In current usage, interpretator is nonstandard, as is the obsolete verb formation interpretate. The OED has an entry for interpretator, but its the most recent documentation is from the 17th century and the word is labeled as obsolete. The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary has no entry for it. M-W does have an entry for interpretate, which redirects to interpret. Here are some examples of nonstandard interpretator: I know there is a secretarys dayIs there an interpretators day? Speaking in Malayalam, through an interpretator, Poulse and his other colleagues said   I bet I was the best hand writing interpretator in the world. software, incorporating the only true award interpretator system for Australian conditions since 1991 Chinese (mandarin) translator/interpretator service provider Nonstandard interpretate also abounds: management will read the same contract as you but will interpretate it different[ly]. Im pretty sure he misinterpretated the study, Himmler thought that Germany was going to recover because he misinterpretated one of Nostradamuss predictions. In November 2005 she interpretated the role Dame at â€Å"Dido and Enea† by Purcell While interpretator has no meaning apart from that of the standard word interpreter, commentator and commenter have distinctive meanings. commentator: A writer of expository comments or critical notes on a literary work; the writer of a commentary; One who reports or comments on current events, esp. on radio or television. commenter: One who comments Here are some examples of both words: Sometimes sports commentators say the strangest things Alan Watkins, doyen of political commentators, dies at 77 Texas police take on blog commenters Are Blog Commenters â€Å"Real† Writers? N.C. Judge Unmasks Pseudonymous Blog Commenters The 6 Types of Blog CommentorsDo You Know Them? (NOTE: The OED gives commentor as an alternate spelling of commenter.) I see a useful distinction between commentator and commenter, especially in this everybodys a writer culture of ours. Commentators are qualified to write intelligently about a particular topic, approaching it and analyzing it in terms of a body of knowledge. Commenters, on the other hand, express opinions on matters about which they may or may not be particularly informed. Many DWT readers bring professional expertise in language to their comments, resulting in useful commentary. In general, however, blog commenters tend to be stronger on opinion than information. Bottom line: Id reserve the word commentator for analysts operating from a professionally-informed perspective and writing or speaking in a formal setting. Id use commenter for people who respond to blog posts. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" 50 Idioms About Fruits and Vegetables6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know