Interpreting

How to spell interpreting

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce interpreting

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does interpreting mean?

1. verbWorking out or explaining the meaning of something, such as data, a text, or an event.
2. nounThe activity or profession of orally translating speech from one language into another.

Interpreting in a sentence

• verb

  Interpreting the survey results correctly took the analyst most of the afternoon.

• noun

  She built a career in interpreting at international conferences.

• verb

  The judge cautioned the jury against interpreting silence as an admission of guilt.

• noun

  A postgraduate course in interpreting demands fluency in at least two languages.

Where does interpreting come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb interpretari, meaning 'to explain, translate, or understand', which was built on the noun interpres, a person who acts as an agent, negotiator, or translator between two parties. The first element inter- means 'between', and the second part is thought to relate to a root for 'spreading abroad' or 'trading', fitting the idea of a middleman who carries meaning from one side to the other. English took the word up in the 1300s by way of Old French interpreter, at first in the sense of explaining the meaning of something obscure. From there it broadened to cover translating speech and reading significance into events or evidence. The single t and the unstressed 'pret' syllable, which softens to a schwa in speech, are the small places where careful writers pause; remembering the buried Latin interpres helps fix the spelling.

How the word is built

• inter- (between)
• pret (from Latin interpres: agent, go-between, translator)
• -ing (present participle / gerund)