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occupation and professional

English translation: Both mean paid job we rely for income. The latter takes higher, and longer training (mostly in graduate school level).

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:occupation and professional
Selected answer:Both mean paid job we rely for income. The latter takes higher, and longer training (mostly in graduate school level).
Entered by: humbird

06:14 Aug 26, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Other / work
English term or phrase: occupation and professional
how to distingish the two words's useage?
please give me some information!thanks,
1982Hilary
Local time: 12:58
Do you mean occupation and profession?
Explanation:
Like Rita pointed out, the two words you mentioned are noun and adjective. However I suspect what you meant was difference between "occupation" and "profession", that is, both in noun form for comparison. If so this is my answer to you.
In everyday English, the former ("occupation") is any paid job a person do to making living. This does not necessary take high-level, long term training. It can be manual job or desk job (blue color or non-blue color workers).
On the other hand, profession is a job that takes very high level training so high school education alone is not enough (whereas many occupation(al) skills can be obtained at this level).
Three typical profession(al)s in modern society have been doctors, lawyers, and college professors. The last used to be "theologians" and it has historical background but this is not a place to go into the detail.
Now think about last one (professor). Why college/university level teachers are called professors but not teachers? Probably they have to go beyond undergraduate teacher's certificate level.
Can you see the difference between occupation and profession?
Lastly what is so confusing about these two English words are as follows: "Professional" ia a noun, whereas "occupational" is not.
By the way I firmly believe good translators are professionals.


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Note added at 8 hrs 8 mins (2004-08-26 14:23:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Woops! Correction. Contradiction in my explanation need correction. I take back what I said at the beginning. Both are nouns. But \"professional\" as noun (especially in singular) is not a very common usage.
Selected response from:

humbird
Grading comment
thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6noun and adjective
RHELLER
5 +2Do you mean occupation and profession?
humbird


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
noun and adjective


Explanation:
occupation = profession/job/career

professional = word to describe what one does in their profession

profession. Roget s II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. 1995.
...Activity pursued as a livelihood: art, business, calling, career, craft, employment, job, line, métier, occupation, pursuit, trade, vocation, work



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 mins (2004-08-26 06:20:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------


1) professional. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
...1a. Of, relating to, engaged in, or suitable for a profession: lawyers, doctors, and other professional people. b. Conforming to the standards of a profession: professional...

2) professional. Roget s II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. 1995.
...Having or demonstrating a high degree of knowledge or skill: adept, crack, expert, master, masterful, masterly, proficient, skilled, skillful.

http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?F...

RHELLER
United States
Local time: 23:58
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 101

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  CSsys (X)
1 min
  -> thanks :-)
agree  Empty Whiskey Glass
12 mins
  -> thanks Svetozar!
agree  ohemulen
17 mins
agree  Java Cafe
1 hr
agree  Rajan Chopra
2 hrs
agree  Marian Greenfield
4 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Do you mean occupation and profession?


Explanation:
Like Rita pointed out, the two words you mentioned are noun and adjective. However I suspect what you meant was difference between "occupation" and "profession", that is, both in noun form for comparison. If so this is my answer to you.
In everyday English, the former ("occupation") is any paid job a person do to making living. This does not necessary take high-level, long term training. It can be manual job or desk job (blue color or non-blue color workers).
On the other hand, profession is a job that takes very high level training so high school education alone is not enough (whereas many occupation(al) skills can be obtained at this level).
Three typical profession(al)s in modern society have been doctors, lawyers, and college professors. The last used to be "theologians" and it has historical background but this is not a place to go into the detail.
Now think about last one (professor). Why college/university level teachers are called professors but not teachers? Probably they have to go beyond undergraduate teacher's certificate level.
Can you see the difference between occupation and profession?
Lastly what is so confusing about these two English words are as follows: "Professional" ia a noun, whereas "occupational" is not.
By the way I firmly believe good translators are professionals.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs 8 mins (2004-08-26 14:23:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Woops! Correction. Contradiction in my explanation need correction. I take back what I said at the beginning. Both are nouns. But \"professional\" as noun (especially in singular) is not a very common usage.

humbird
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alfa Trans (X): I also think Hilary meant this. However blue/white COLLAR workers (refers to the colour of their skirts, i.e. more important people wear white)
1 hr
  -> Thank you Marju!
agree  Craft.Content: Referring to Marju's point - the colors are largely symbolic nowadays!
18 hrs
  -> Thank you Sanjay. Yes blue/white dichotomy doesn't have much meaning nowadays.
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