Yeah the intrepreter feature is completely optional the idea is you only use it on games that need intrepretation. It's very handy for mame if you want to give a few odd-ball games special command-line options or emus like zinc, that need EVERY game converted. I have a new one coming that's much more powerful though.
Something for everyone to realize about the wrappers. They are not a free ride! Don't expect to be able to plop one in a dir and expect it to work right away, you have to play with all of the settings and different handle names and other options before you get it right. With something this flexiable comes more setup, it's just a natural conclusion.