Interpreting practice in a multilingual country needs to be fostered and the training of these professionals becomes essential in our tertiary institutions. As part of training these interpreters, exposure to and experience in the profession becomes important even though the practice is to a certain extent still in its infancy. The researcher aims to investigate the interaction with the community and the role of service learning from the perspective of the trainee interpreters within, among others, the health context. Service learning in this regard should not e seen as a haphazard activity where students have a free hand, but it is course based and credit bearing during which students mull over the service activity in such a way that they gain further understanding, broader appreciation of the discipline and an enhanced sense of personal value and civic responsibility. This is achieved by reflecting on the encounter of the trainee during his/her internship.