In the last decade, attention in interpreting studies has focused on both the issues of
expertise and of professionalisation. In view of the substantive changes taking place in the
profession today, this article advocates the need for a new type of relationship between the
two approaches in which both interact and enrich each other. It examines the interaction
between the two dimensions of expertise − cognitive and sociocultural − to shed more light
on what professional interpreting means and to gain a better understanding of the
complex nature of interpreting expertise today.
