Using theories of work organization and drawing on discourse analysis practices, this article examines how quality demands are converging with the practices of independent translation agencies driven by the current wave of digitalization and the Internet in American industry. Comparing the theoretical setting with the empirical approach, i.e. what happens “in the field”, discusses the encounters between the supporting activities of translation agencies and the routine activities of translators. The article delves into the changing dynamics between these complex field environments as quality standards in translation are confronted with a plethora of technological, commercial and academic pilot programs. The article reflects on the difficulties and passions of the translation discipline, in which the concept of quality is inherently moving and evolving from within.