There is much to be gained by distinguishing dialogue interpreting from conference interpreting, the area which has so far attracted more attention from researchers. This is not to suggest that all fields of dialogue interpreting are identical: the brief of the courtroom interpreter, for example, is radically different from that of the interpreter in a medical consultation. Nevertheless, a number of shared contextual constraints (the immediacy of the face-to-face encounter, the often sensitive nature of the topics discussed, the interpreter's role as gate-keeper, etc.) are bound to exert a considerable influence on the unfolding of the exchange. Thus, the object of study is a three-party interaction in which turn management, role conflict, discourse, power, distance, politeness and other pragmatic issues become prominent. The chapter makes a plea for studies which focus on such issues as these. It also discusses a number of methodological issues facing the dialogue interpreting researcher.