A number of studies analyse quality-related features that occur in the interpreting event. Nevertheless, the researchers investigating the role of nonverbal elements in interpreter-mediated events as signs of expression (Poyatos 1997, Collados Aís 1998, Rennert, 2008, Zagar Galvão 2013) still remain very few. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this emerging field of study by presenting extracts of an original corpus illustrating the use of iconic gestures in the interactions taking place in the presence of an interpreter. After defining the characteristics of iconic gestures according to McNeill (1992), Cosnier (1997) and Poyatos (1997), we shall compare gestural repertories and their discursive functions among social, legal and healthcare settings. These observations allow us to formulate a hypothesis that the interpreters would adapt their strategies of source messages’ rendition according to the context of the interaction, opting either for reproducing the iconic gestures of the actors or, on the contrary, explaining their meaning verbally. Furthermore, the analysis of the available data suggests that the common imitation of iconic gestures among participants may lead to their ritualization, and therefore create a new shared gestural repertory enhancing mutual understanding in exolingual interactions. The study is based on the observations of authentic face-to-face interactions including professional community interpreters working in Paris. The corpus is made up of an online survey conducted on a sample of 60 interpreters using 43 different working languages, consists in semi-structured interviews with 10 of those professionals and a set of 50 video sequences collected during the field research; the latter manually annotated using ELAN software. Combining multimethodology, rich data and particular settings, we aim to present a complex semiotic portray of the gestures used in community interpreting sessions, a subject which is constantly gaining on interest of academic researchers.