通訳
つうやく · tsuuyaku · JLPT N3 · noun
interpreter
🎧🗣️ 通訳 = pass through + translate: words passed across a language gap
通 (tsuu) means pass through, as in 通る; 訳 (yaku) means translation. The spoken translation goes straight through the interpreter in real time. Compare 翻訳 (hon'yaku), which is written translation.
通 — 辵 (辶) walk + 甬 yǒng (phonetic)
通 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 (chuò) component means 'walk' or 'movement', giving the meaning of going through or passing. 甬 (yǒng), originally depicting a hanging bell or a path, supplies the sound. Together they convey 'to pass through, communicate, connect'.