In assessing the quality of interpretations, a variety of variable factors must be taken into account. Against this backdrop, the author focuses on the crucial role that the listener plays in monolingual communication and, consequently, in every interpreting situation, as it is the listener who assigns meaning to what is being said. Based on insights from communication science and social psychology, the author analyzes the significance of the recipient in the understanding process, as well as the effects of a positive or negative mood on the evaluation of interpreting performances.