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Conference interpreting and working languages	Page 4 of 11
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On the preceding pages the term "language combination" has been used several times. The term refers to the languages an interpreter uses professionally. These ‘working’ languages can be further subdivided into ‘active’ and ‘passive’ languages. Below a fuller description is provided of the different terms, following the AIIC classification of A, B and C languages.

Active languages:

Active languages are those languages into which the interpreter works.

An active language can be one of two kinds:

• A language: the interpreter's mother tongue (or another language strictly equivalent to a mother tongue), into which s/he interprets from all other working languages, generally in the two modes of interpretation, simultaneous and consecutive. AIIC members are expected to have at least one A language.
  
• B language: a language into which the interpreter works from one or more of her/his other languages and which, although not a mother tongue, is a language of which s/he has perfect command. Some interpreters work into B languages in only one of the two modes of interpretation.

In principle, an interpreter’s main active language is the mother tongue - the language in which the interpreter was formally educated and feels completely at ease. An active language which is not the interpreter’s mother tongue can only be acquired after years of hard work and frequent stays in a country of that language. Usually, however, the second active language reaches a satisfactory standard only after many years of practice and is more suited to interpretation of technical discussions where lexical accuracy is more important than style or very discrete shades of meaning. It is customary only to work into the second active language out of the mother tongue.

The very rare case of true bilinguals, i.e. people whose personal circumstances have resulted in their having two "mother tongues", is the exception that proves the rule. Bilingual interpreters are much in demand, especially if they can offer a third language.

Passive languages:

• Passive languages are those languages of which the interpreter has complete understanding and from which s/he interprets. These are what interpreters call their C languages, according to AIIC classification.

Working languages and language combinations

Using the information provided above as a basis, let us take an example of an interpreter with three working languages - English, French and Russian. By classifying them as A, B and C languages respectively we have that interpreter’s language combination. This means that this particular interpreter may be employed to work from Russian and French into English, as well as from English into French.

The concept of ‘working language’ also obtains for international organizations and meetings or similar events in which participants from different countries come together. This second meaning of the term designates the languages in which the organization or body conducts its business, and hence, the languages which delegates or participants use to communicate.

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