Interpreting - General Principles
ISO 13611 establishes general principles and requirements for community interpreting - the foundation standard for all interpreting service standards.
- Community Interpreting
- General Principles
- Interpreter Roles
- Ethical Requirements
- Quality Framework
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About ISO 13611:2024 - Interpreting - General Principles
ISO 13611:2024 establishes general principles and requirements for community interpreting - the foundational standard for all interpreting services provided in community, public service, and social settings. Community interpreting encompasses the wide range of interpreting services provided to facilitate communication between individuals and public service providers in areas such as healthcare, legal services, social services, education, housing, and immigration.
Community interpreting differs from conference interpreting in that it is provided in community settings where the interpreter facilitates communication between a service provider (doctor, lawyer, social worker, teacher) and a service user who does not share the service provider's language. The power imbalance inherent in these interactions places particular demands on the interpreter's professional conduct and ethical judgment.
ISO 13611 defines the interpreter's role as a neutral communication facilitator - the interpreter renders messages accurately and completely without advocacy, advice-giving, or personal intervention. The standard acknowledges, however, that community interpreters must sometimes exercise professional judgment in managing the interpreting interaction, including clarifying cultural concepts that have no direct equivalent in the target language.
The standard specifies competence requirements for community interpreters covering linguistic competence (professional-level proficiency in both working languages), subject-matter knowledge (familiarity with the terminology and procedures of the relevant service domain), interpersonal skills (ability to manage multi-party interactions), and professional conduct (impartiality, confidentiality, and transparency).
ISO 13611 is the parent standard for the sector-specific interpreting standards ISO 20228 (legal settings) and ISO 21998 (healthcare settings). It is used by community interpreting service providers, public sector organizations, and professional associations to establish quality benchmarks and to inform the training and assessment of community interpreters.
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