Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p> This contribution outlines the specifics of <jats:italic>community interpreting</jats:italic> , a particular field of interpreting that has also been referred to as <jats:italic>public service interpreting</jats:italic> or <jats:italic>dialogue interpreting</jats:italic> . We discuss how community interpreting has commonly been defined in juxtaposition to other, more prototypical fields of interpreting, such as, for instance, conference interpreting, outline its fuzzy boundaries with related fields, such as intercultural mediation, and discuss the variety of names that have been given to this type of interpreting. We examine how community interpreting differs from other domains of interpreting and describe some specific characteristics, such as differences in the speakers' backgrounds, communicative skills, and power differences, but also differences in the nature of community interpreting encounters, discourse management, and the interactional scope given to interpreters. We discuss the impact of migration and language policies on existing interpreting practices and provisions, before sketching available training formats and specific challenges of community interpreter training, and finally, also briefly address community interpreting research. </jats:p>