This study investigates the use of oral interpretation in social contexts. The context chosen was a community corrections program which provides education and employment assistance to adults on probation in Denton County, Texas. A solo interpretation script was incorporated into a public awareness presentation about the Denton County Probationer Education and Employment Program. The presentation was presented to a pilot audience to test the effectiveness of combining oral interpretation with public speaking to inform audiences about and elicit support for community corrections. It was determined that integrating an interpretative performance into an informational presentation is an effective method of employing oral interpretation outside the classroom and expanding its rhetorical dimensions.

This oral interpretation thesis analyzes the influences on Mark Twain's reading, traces his development as an oral interpreter, and studies his techniques for revising selections of his literature to make them more suitable for oral delivery. This study concentrates on Twain's 1884-1885 reading tour with George W. Cable because in that period Twain made his greatest advances as an oral interpreter. The impact that this tour had on Twain's later reading is also analyzed. It was discovered that the interpretation theories developed by Twain are consistent with contemporary theory and practice.