两者均指具有对遗产进行清理和管理、变卖以及分配遗产等的职责的人。区别在于executor为“遗嘱执行人”，是指遗嘱上写明的由立遗嘱人指定的负责执行该遗嘱者[1]。而administrator 则为 “遗产管理人”，是指因遗嘱上没有指定或在无遗嘱继承情况下由法院指定的属于法定继承中的管理死者的遗产者[2]。 由此，与这两个单词相关的术语都应它们的基本含义进行翻译。如有词典将administrator with the will annexed译为“依遗嘱（而由法院认可的）指定的遗产管理人”此种译法显然跟administrator 的基本含义相悖。 实际上该术语的真正意思是“因遗嘱未指定执行人或指定的执行人不作为或无能力作为或死亡，而由法院指定的遗产管理人”[4]。
 
[1]“ A person named by a testator to execute or cany out the instructions in a will. ”Cf. Linda Picard Wood, J. D. Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Law，at p. 177, Merriam- Webster ,Incorporated (1996).
[2]“A pereon appointed by a court to administer all or part of a decedent's estate in the absence of an executor, as when the decedent left no will, or the will failed to designate an executor or failed to dispose of the entire estate, or the designated executor is unwilling or unable to serve. " Cf. James E. Clapp, Random House Webster’s Dictionary of the Law t at pp. 15、16，Random House (2000).
[3] 参见《英汉法律词典》编委组编：《英汉法律词典》（修订版），法律出版 社1999年版，第26页。
[4]“ An administrator appointed by the court to carry out the provision of a will when the testator has named no executor，or the executors named refuse, are incompetent to act，or have died before performing their duties. ”Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition, at p. 47, West Group (1999).