This paper draws on the concept of "frame" to elucidate the importance of shared contextual assumptions in interpretation. A "frame" is defined as the totality of contextual assumptions that provides the basis for inferring the intended meaning of an utterance. A certain utterance can be "framed" to mean a particular thing, and the linguistic and extra-linguistic factors constituting the frame should be shared between the communicators, if the utterance' intended meaning is to be successfully inferred by the recipient. When the frame is not shared, misunderstanding is bound to occur.In interpretation, the issue of shared frames matters on two planes; first, when the interpreter sets out to analyze the meaning of an utterance made by the speaker and, second, when the interpreter attempts to convey that idea to the audience. In the first case, the interpreter needs to share the linguistic and extralinguistic factors framing the speaker's utterance in order to derive its intended meaning. A failure to do so will result in a misanalysis that will make the interpreter relay a distorted message to the audience. On the other hand, the interpreter is required to be sensitive to the linguistic and extralinguistic assumptions the audience will bring to bear on their effort to comprehend the interpreter's utterance. Such sensitivity will enable the interpreter to adapt his utterance to the audience's level of comprehension. Conclusively, the interpreter's sharing of frames with speaker and audience is key to successful interpretation. It enables the interpreter to accurately analyze what the speaker says and adapt the analyzed message to the audience's frame of reference.
