This paper deals with the results of a study on retour interpreting involving ten professional interpreters active on the private market in southern Spain. It focused on such issues as workload, fatigue, quality of interpreting performance, accent, comprehension and production, the type of assignments, conference preparation, etc. The results would seem to indicate that the issue is by no means clear-cut and that the respondents did not judge either direction as being intrinsically more difficult than the other, but rather as involving a delicate balance of different factors. Results also point to contradictions between what are perceived to be the expectations of the listeners and what are felt to be the actual needs of the interpreters. Differences were appreciated between groups of interpreters with different B languages. Discussion of the results of the survey are preceded by some reflections on the nature of quality, direction and directionality in interpreting.