arbeiten = to work verarbeiten = to process "Ich muss morgen arbeiten" (I have to work tomorrow) "Ich möchte die Gurken in dem Salat verarbeiten" (I want to process the cucumber in salad)

Basically, "bearbeiten" describes a process by which the object is altered, often ameliorated, also in a figurative sense. In the process described by "verarbeiten" however the object ist consumed, since it is the material (or one of the different materials) that are used to create something new. Here you may look up the many different meanings of both words in more detail: → http://de.pons.com/übersetzung?q=bearbeiten&l;=deen → http://de.pons.com/übersetzung?q=verarbeiten&l;=deen