What
is Interpreting? Interpreting, or interpretation, is the intellectual activity that consists of
facilitating oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or
consecutively, between two or among three or more speakers who are not
speaking, or signing, the same language. The words interpreting and interpretation
both can be used to refer to this activity; the word interpreting is commonly
used in the profession and in the translation-studies field to avoid confusion
with other meanings of the word interpretation. Not all languages employ, as
English does, two separate words to denote the activities of written and
live-communication (oral or sign-language) translators. Even English does not
always make the distinction, frequently using translation as a synonym of
interpreting, especially in nontechnical usage.
Where
Do Interpreters Work?
The
majority of professional full-time conference
interpreters work for international organizations like the United Nations, the
European Union, or the African Union. See the Career opportunities with DG
Interpretation in European Union's institutions. The world's largest employer
of interpreters is currently the European Commission, which employs hundreds of
staff and freelance interpreters working into the official languages of the
European Union. The European Union's other institutions (the European
Parliament and the European Court of Justice) have smaller interpreting
services.
The United Nations employs interpreters at almost all its
sites throughout the world. Because it has only six official languages,
however, it is a smaller employer than the European Union. Interpreters may
also work as freelance operators in their local, regional and national
communities, or may take on contract work under an interpreting business or
service. They would typically take on work as described above. The U.S.
military in Iraq and Afghanistan employ hundreds of interpreters to assist with
its communications with the local population.
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