An interpreter is a person with special skills and knowledge to transfer spoken messages from one language into another. In the case of sign-language interpreters, the message is transferred from spoken to sign language, and vice-versa.

Interpreters are the essential link between people who do not speak the same language, so they can communicate and understand each other. Interpreters are different from translators, even though what they do is also a form of translation.

Translators transfer written messages from one language into another. They do not need to speak a language in order to translate to or from that language.

Interpreters can work in a host of different environments. Those who work in legal proceedings, both in and out of court, are known as court or judiciary interpreters. Those who work with schools, social services and other community-oriented organizations are known as community interpreters. Those who work with international organizations, or at multinational meetings and conferences, are known as conference interpreters. Some of these interpreters can also work as escorts for international visitors, or seminar interpreters for small-scale international events. Each one of these work environments has its own requirements and rules for the interpreter’s performance. The most demanding of all is judiciary interpreting.

What is simultaneous interpreting?

Simultaneous interpreting requires the ability to listen and speak at the same time. While the interpreter hears a person speak in one language, he or she is transforming that message into another language, with just a few seconds lag. In judiciary settings, this mode is used most often during trials and hearings in which the defendant does not speak English.

What is consecutive interpreting?

During consecutive interpreting, the interpreter waits for one speaker to complete a thought, and then conveys that through in another language. This process generally requires that the interpreter take turns with the two persons who do not speak the same language, and requires special memory skills. In a judiciary setting it is used for questions-and-answers, such as witness testimony, or interviews.

What is sight translation?

When a foreign-language document is presented in court, the interpreter may be called upon to convey in English what that foreign document says. Likewise, English-language documents may have to be translated to non-English speakers in the language they understand. During sight-translation the interpreter translates the written document as he or she “reads” it out loud.