Which term is defined as the language of the original message in interpretation?

• A. Target Language
• B. Source Language
• C. Working Language
• D. Relay Language

Answer: (B)

In interpretation, the language of the original message is called the source language. The interpreter listens to the source language and renders the meaning into another language, which is known as the target language. So the term defined by this question is the source language.

The target language is the language into which the message is interpreted, not the original. The working language is a broader term often used to describe the main language used in a setting or organization, but it doesn’t specify the language of the original message. Relay language is not a standard label for the original message language; in some contexts it might refer to a pivot or intermediate language, but the original message language remains the source. For example, if a speaker talks in Spanish and the interpreter delivers in English, Spanish is the source language and English is the target language.