ESEARCH is one thing we, as interpreters, can do ahead of time to turn a difficult or even mediocre interpretation into a successful one. Imagine the attorney who doesn't research laws applicable to a case prior to going into a trial. Or suppose an electrician tried to figure out how to wire a building, while on site, as he went along. As interpreters we are faced with a different topic every day. There will always be times that we are introduced to new words or concepts within a conversation and must "handle" it on the fly.  However, by looking up possible topics of discussion beforehand, we can save ourselves much agony, while providing a clearer product to our consumers. Many of the great interpreters will tell you that in order to properly prepare, to do an accurate interpretation, the interpreter must understand the subject. We hope the following links will help you to prepare for a variety of topics. (Interpreters, see note on bottom.)

WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS

Some great links to help expand your lingual gray matter:

DICTIONARIES & VOCABULARY BUILDERS

	The Interpreters' Friend
	Dictionary.com
	Thesaurus.com
	Merriam-Webster
	Cambridge
	Bartleby
	Your Dictionary
	Oxford English Dictionary
	Wordsmith
	New York Times Word of the Day
	Onelook

GESTUNO (International Sign/Gesture) (Sample)

	Video Clips by WFD President Markku Jokinen
	Animated Video for World Federation of the Deaf Conference, Madrid, Spain July 16-22, 2007

SUBJECTS SUBJECTS SUBJECTS SUBJECTS

Some great links that will help you research certain topics:

GENERAL

	Wikipedia
	Encyclopedia.com
	Encyclopedia Smithsonian
	Encyclozine
	Info Please
	Bartleby.com

LEGAL

	Legal Lexicon's Lyceum
	Law Dictionary
	Cornell Law Library
	Everybody's Legal Dictionary
	Medieval Legal History (just for fun)

MEDICAL/MENTAL HEALTH

	Medline Plus
	Medterms.com
	Pharma-Lexicon.com
	Med Bio World
	MPIP
	Human-Nature.com (Mental Health)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

	Treasure Troves of Science
	Scientific Literature Digital Library
	Chemistry Webercises
	Science and Technology, RefDesk.com
	TechWeb
	PCWebOpedia
	Cyber Law Encyclopedia

MATHEMATICS

	MathWorld
	Prime Mathematics Encyclopedia
	Calc 101 (calc and algebra)
	Math Dictionary for Kids
	Glossary of Mathematical Terms

HISTORY

	Hyper History On Line
	Sparticus
	Artzia.com
	Women in American History

LITERATURE

	The Literary Encyclopedia
	Cambridge History
	Wikipedia, Literature

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

	Business Law Lounge
	Encyclopedia of Finance
	Finance, InfoPlease.com
	IHateFinancialPlanning.com
	Real Estate, OurBroker.com

HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS

	Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
	Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
	ArtCyclopedia
	Artzia.com
	Arts and Entertainment, InfoPlease.com

A NOTE TO ALL INTERPRETERS: At the time of this publishing, the above sites offered free information. There is such an abundance of sites providing free information that SLR does not wish to imply that you join a membership or subscription.

ALSO - If you have found a site not listed here that is helpful to you, please share it with other interpreters. Please EMAIL the link to us. Thank you!

For Customers

Services

Customer Policies

Request Center

For Interpreters

Interpreter news

Professional Development

Interpreter Policy

Policy Examples

Travel, Weather, & News

For Deaf Consumers

Deaf Council

Disability Rights

Lend A Hand

Deaf Art