Anotace:
This article focuses on the issue of quality in simultaneous interpreting, namely on the This article focuses on the issue of quality in simultaneous interpreting, namely on the inherent difficulties encountered when trying to define quality in SI; and on the cognitive processes involved in simultaneous interpreting in relation to quality. So far, no comprehensive and exhaustive definition of quality in simultaneous interpreting has been provided, due to the many facets and factors that need to be taken into account when dealing with quality in SI, as well as the inevitable subjectivity of any assessment of quality. The article discusses existing approaches to quality in SI that may be considered problematic, such as the aspirations towards an ideal of interpreting in contrast to what is a realistically achievable (optimum) quality of interpreting. The claim that interpreting should have the same cognitive effect on listeners as the original speech, on which some of the definitions of quality in SI are based, is challenged and analysed. Further on, the concept of quality in SI is situated within different cognitive processes taking place during simultaneous interpreting; concepts of working memory and cognitive load are discussed, as well as their connection to interpreting as a decision-making process and strategic behaviour. Quality is understood as the capacity to efficiently and effectively manage available cognitive resources and to choose appropriate strategies to identify and solve particular problems in a specific interpreting situation, while taking into account the overall working conditions and the individual predispositions of the interpreter.