Inside the Translator’s Mind: Recent Research Findings

This session will present an introduction to research on cognitive processes in translation and interpreting and highlight current research trends and findings. As complex and cognitively demanding tasks, translation and interpreting require language professionals to exert significant effort when conducting their work. Recent studies have examined various aspects of translator and interpreter cognition — e.g., memory, decision-making, uncertainty management, and cognitive effort — and illustrate how translator and interpreter behavior often depends on the context in which these tasks are performed. In particular, this presentation will focus on the influence of technology and environmental constraints. Examples will be drawn from studies in several areas, including translation technologies, ergonomics, human-computer interaction, bilingualism, and multilingualism.