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The field of Translation and Interpreting Studies focuses on research and practice in translating spoken and written language. In practical terms, interpreters are often called upon to sight read or translate written materials, and some translators also take on interpreting work in certain situations. While each require a specific skill set, there is a good deal of overlap in the linguistic and cultural knowledge required for both. Interpreters and translators work in pubic service community-based contexts, in the private sector, and across the international community. While interpreters have been an important presence in the world for millennia, the practice of interpreting only began to be studied at the institutional level with the founding of the School of Interpreters of Geneva, Switzerland in 1940.

The University of Massachusetts, Amherst founded one of the oldest Programs in Interpreting in 1980. The program has contined to evolve in its endeavor to introduce students to the inter-related linguistic, social, cultural and ethical issues that are involved in the task of interpreting and translation. Its current aim is to enlarge students' awareness, at both the theoretical and practical level, of the different dimensions of interpreting and translation in both public service and private sector settings. Students who wish to enroll in the program should have advanced knowledge of at least two languages, one being English, and possess advanced or emerging knowledge of the variety of social and cultural groups associated with them.