How are quality and roles related in simultaneous conference interpreting, and what significance does the concept of norms have in this context? This paper provides an answer to this question, examining the concepts from a translation sociological perspective, connecting them, and offering a new approach for investigating quality. It becomes evident that quality studies from a sociocultural perspective are worthwhile, as only through this lens can the prevalence of certain role expectations and quality requirements in simultaneous conference interpreting be explained. The empirical findings stem from two web-based survey studies on the topic, conducted by the author among members of the International Association of Conference Interpreters and the German Association of Conference Interpreters.