In 2008, nearly 2 million people travelled overseas to the U.S. for conferences and conventions; 6.3 million for business purposes (U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, 2008). All-in-all, millions cross borders for business and networking opportunities. Not everyone speaks English, and even those who do speak it are often able to participate more fully if services are available in their native languages. As the number of international visitors at U.S. trade shows increases, and businesses expand into new international markets, so does the use of interpreters for communicating with non-English-speakers. To answer questions related to working with interpreters, language services company Global Language Solutions has published a tip sheet, “Working with Interpreters in a Multilingual Business or Event Environment.”

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