Quality in interpreting: some methodological issues

Abstract

Quality in interpreting is a frequently discussed yet little explored concept. \nAs services are increasingly evaluated the way products are, with ISO 9000 and \nTQM having became the hallmarks of production in post-industrial societies, \ntranslation and interpreting cannot claim special status as "works of art", to be \nevaluated much the same way as gymnastics, dance or figure skating \ncompetitions. This is not to say that translating or interpreting lack artistic \nvalue or creativity, but current practice puts them squarely into the category of \nservices; as such they become subject to performance evaluations similar to \nthose carried out on products and other types of services. Especially interpreting, \nwhich in the eyes of the consumer carries a hefty price tag, is becoming the \nobject of such evaluations. There is no point in lamenting the apparent loss of \nspecial status. As professional skills ha ve evolved since antiquity, and \nparticularly since the Nuremberg trials - seen by most as a historical turning \npoint with the introduction of simultaneous interpreting - the public is coming \nto expect more and more of interpreters, while at the same time judging their \nperformance often too harshly. This is frequently done without bearing in mind \nthe multitude of factors that can affect the quality of interpreting.

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