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The Remote Interpreter
Chapter 1: An Overview of Remote Interpreting

What is a modality?
A modality is how an interpreting service is delivered. It is not about the meaning of the message
but how the message is sent and received. In short, a modality is a means of providing interpreting
services.

• Interpreting face to face is one modality.
• Remote interpreting is another modality, with four primary submodalities:

○ Over-the-phone interpreting (OPI)
○ Video remote interpreting (VRI)
○ Video relay service (VRS)

○ Remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI)

For centuries, face-to-face interpreting, also called onsite or in-person interpreting, was the only
way interpreting was delivered. Interpreters had to be in the same physical location as the people
they interpreted for.

The invention of the telephone, and later, real-time video communication, added a new modality:
remote interpreting. Remote interpreting, which is also called distance interpreting—especially
in Europe—involves interpreters who are not in the same physical location as the people they
interpret for.
2
Remote interpreting can be performed over the phone, on video or through a computer connected
to the internet. Regardless of the technology, remote interpreting is simply a modality for delivering
interpreting services.

Interpreting specializations

Finally, an interpreting specialization refers to a specialty of the broader interpreting profession.
The primary specializations are conference, business, legal and community interpreting (including
medical, social services, educational, refugee and humanitarian interpreting).

Legal interpreting includes court interpreting. In some countries, legal interpreting is considered
part of community interpreting and in others it is not. Other specializations include military and
escort or liaison interpreting. Any interpreter can work remotely or face to face in any specialization.

Now that these key terms have been defined, let’s go on a brief tour of the history of remote
interpreting.

2 Distance interpreting is the term officially used by the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC)
and in European conference settings to refer to remote interpreting. AIIC, however, defines remote interpreting more
narrowly in terms of remote interpreting where the interpreter has no direct view of the participants, yet it includes
under this umbrella term not only audio remote interpreting but also VRI. The term remote interpreting is widely
accepted in Europe and is the dominant term used globally. For example, a Google search for “remote interpreting”
on June 28, 2022, yielded 232,000 results. A Google search on the same date for “distance interpreting” yielded
6,270 results.

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