Interpretation

Last updated October 30, 2025

Interpretation may refer to:

Culture

Aesthetic interpretation, an explanation of the meaning of a work of art
Allegorical interpretation, an approach that assumes a text should not be interpreted literally
Dramatic Interpretation, an event in speech and forensics competitions in which participants perform excerpts from plays
Heritage interpretation, communication about the nature and purpose of historical, natural, or cultural phenomena
Interpretation (music), the process of a performer deciding how to perform music that has been previously composed
Language interpretation, the facilitation of dialogue between parties using different languages
Literary theory, broad methods for interpreting literature, including historicism, feminism, structuralism, deconstruction
- Literary criticism, interpretation of particular works of literature
Oral interpretation, a dramatic art

Authentic interpretation, the official interpretation of a statute issued by the statute's legislator
Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretations, part of the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP)
Interpretation Act, a stock short title used for legislation relating to interpretation of legislation
Judicial interpretation, an interpretation of law by a judiciary
Statutory interpretation, determining the meaning of legislation

Interpretation (model theory), a technical notion that approximates the idea of representing a logical structure inside another structure
Interpreter (computing), a part of an interpreted programming language that executes programs directly
Interpretation function, in mathematical logic a function that assigns functions and relations to the symbols of a signature
Interpretations of quantum mechanics, a set of statements which attempt to explain how quantum mechanics informs our understanding of nature
Interpretability, a concept in mathematical logic

Interpretation centre, an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage
Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration , an album by The Carpenters

Interpretation (philosophy), the assignment of meanings to various concepts, symbols, or objects under consideration
Interpretation (logic), an assignment of meaning to the symbols of a formal language
De Interpretatione , a work by Aristotle
Exegesis, a critical explanation or interpretation of a text
Hermeneutics, the study of interpretation theory
Semantics, the study of meaning in words, phrases, signs, and symbols
Interpretant, a concept in semiotics

Biblical interpretation, the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible
Interpretation (Catholic canon law), in the Catholic Church, rules for the exact interpretation and acceptation of words
Interpretation (journal), an academic journal that covers the field of Presbyterian biblical studies
Interpretation of Knowledge, a codex in the Nag Hammadi library of early Christian Gnostic texts
Interpretation of tongues, a supernatural ability to understand unknown languages