What is consecutive or business, liaison and ad hoc interpreting?

Liaison, business and ad hoc interpreting are synonyms for interpreting in a business setting, for instance during meetings with foreign partners or customers, contract negotiations, factory tours or the like. The interpreter usually waits for the speaker to pause before translating the words, so it is also known as consecutive interpreting.

There are also two specialized forms of consecutive interpreting, court interpreting (i.e. interpreting in a court of law), and community or public service interpreting (i.e. interpreting between immigrant community languages and English for the police, NHS or social services for example).