Abstract
While the globalized society of the 21st century is characterized by multilingual communication, in some African countries, big languages including English, the lingua franca of today's world, are still perceived as the lasting symbols of colonization (Mufwene in Michaud 2015, 129). In this study, the case of Tanzania serves as an example of an African country where the strong status of national language together with the increase of international meetings since the beginning of the 21st century results in growing demand for interpreting services.
The aim of the study is to examine the role of interpreting in Tanzania, overview the situations requiring interpreting, describe working conditions of the interpreters and challenges faced in the profession. The role of interpreting in Tanzania is traced back to the history when the territory was under the German colonial rule.