Since globalization has enhanced intercultural exchanges almost on a daily basis, plenty of research has been undertaken to elucidate the sources of misunderstanding between cultures. Disciplines such as intercultural pragmatics, social psychology or ethnography have been developed to shed light on topics of intercultural communication. However, too little attention has been paid to the significance that these theories could have in community interpreting research. Therefore, on the basis of an overview of the literature produced specifically for the case of communication between Chinese and Western cultures, the present contribution aims to point out how a better understanding of intercultural communication patterns could help researchers of community interpreting between distant cultures. It also presents the example of a methodological approach to this topic through a case study, while arguing that community interpreting research should take into account the specificities of particular pairs of languages and cultures.