In recent decades the various areas in which interpreters are used and the conditions under which they perform their services have become increasingly diverse and more demanding. These developments are explored in eleven selected works, prepared by students in connection with an advanced seminar held at FTSK Mainz / Germersheim in the summer semester 2010, through a series of issues: the perceptions and role of the language mediator in the past and today, the demands placed on interpreters in international and national court settings, the emotional burden on interpreters in psychotherapy and in areas of conflict and war, the influence of new language technology and developments in software on the work of the interpreter and the importance of expertise and quality assurance for the continuing professionalization of this occupation. The articles also indicate difficulties, limits and new possibilities for crossborder language mediation.