Abstract

Interpretation quality is a key concept in interpreting studies. Since the earliest studies, quality has been approached from different perspectives, although there is not yet a universal consensus on what it is, what criteria should be used to define it, and how these criteria can be objectively evaluated. It is therefore difficult to arrive at a single, comprehensive definition of the concept of “quality” in the field of interpreting (Shlesinger 1997: 122), and many authors have referred to it as a slippery concept (e.g., Ackermann et al. 1997; Shlesinger 1997). Contributing to the difficulty of defining quality is the fact that one must take into account a number of very disparate aspects involving various actors – interpreters, clients, users and speakers – each of whom has quite a different vision and perception of quality (Garzone 2003: 23)