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EXPERTRANS: Expert Translation processes viewed through TAPs and keystroke logging.
Online investigation of reformulation problems in translation.
Data derived from professional translators' concurrent TAPs and keystroke logging.
Theoretical frame: Cognitive theories : CTMM, BT
Language pairs: French - Norwegian
Results: PhD-thesis and articles -
Period: to
Members
Antin Fougner Rydning
Christian Michel Lachaud
Bergljot Behrens from 1.7.2013 -
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The EYE-to-IT project: A research project in translation and cognition within the 6th Framework Programme, Information Society Technologies
A new focus on process research due to technological developments and new theoretical insights in cognitive linguistics. Integrating Keystroke logging, Eye-tracking and EEG measures in a series of experimental studies in order to study cognition and translation. The goals of the project are threefold:
(i) Develop technical solutions to (ii) study translation-oriented cognition issues and (iii) help translators improve their performance. -
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The Oslo team in the EYE-to-IT project
Data from the Oslo team Investigate how the integration of EEG, Eyetracking and Keystroke logging can cast light on two of the project's main goals:
1.Study cognitive mechanisms in translation related to:
- time simulation in text processing
- visualization techniques
- conceptual metaphors and metonymies
- polysemy in and out of context- Investigate how translators can be helped by prompting information online to improve their performance as regards:
- speed and quality
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Time simulation in text processing.
Research question: Can eye movements capture action simulation processes during text reading and translation?
Theoretical frame: Embodied cognition thesis
Data: subjective time judgement, heart rate measures, Eyetracking from 10 expert translators
Language pair: English - Norwegian
Results: Movement speed indices in text influence:
- heart rate during comprehension
- later stages of word processing during reading
Presentations in poster (Moscow 2007), paper (Brighton 2008), article 2008. -
Visualization techniques
Investigation of the mental representations of professional translators facing complex problem-solving situations in the reformulation phase.
Theoretical frame: CTMM
Data from professional translators' concurrent TAPS and Keystroke logging
Language pair: French - Norwegian
Articles. -
Polysemy in translation versus transcoding. The role of expertise and context.
Research questions: How do context and translating skills impact on the understanding and reformulation of polysemous words in translation? Are there differences between bilinguals and expert translators?
Data from keystroke logging and eye movement from 31 bilinguals and 13 expert translators.
Results: (i) Qualitative differences between expert translators and biliguals: expertise improves. (ii) Context reduces polysemy during comprehension, but multiplies creativity during production.
Article. -
Conceptual metaphors and metonymies in meaning perception and reformulation.
Research question: Which role do conceptual metaphors and metonymies play for meaning construction in translation?
Data from professional translators derived from Reaction Time (RT), Eye-tracking, Keystroke logging, EEG.
Language pair: English - Norwegian
Results: Understanding novel metaphors and metonymies involves meaning creation, while understanding conventional metaphors and metonymies involves meaning retrieval.
Articles. -
Effect of prompting on transcoding performance. Triangulating EEG, Eyetracking and Keystroke logging
Research question: What kind of online prompts can be helpful?
Investigation of false cognates, cognates and non-cognates.
Participants: 52 bilinguals
Language pair: English - Norwegian
Results: The cognitive load is reduced by semantic and lexical prompts for the prosessing of false cognates, by lexical prompts for the processing of non-cognates, while no prompts are required for the processing of real cognates.
Poster (Oslo), Presentation (Copenhagen), Article. (Continuum). -
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Ongoing and future research: Understanding the role of conceptual primary and complex metaphors in text processing (reading for translation and reformulation)
Conceptual clarity is assumed to be linked to how conceptual primary and complex metaphors are understood and reformulated in the target language.
Research questions:
1. How do primary conceptual metaphors differ from complex conceptual metaphors?
2. Are there processing differences between them?
3. What impact do these differences have on translation?
4. How can the cognitive mechanisms of conceptual metaphors be formalized with algorithms? -
Conceptual primary metaphors and conceptual complex metaphors.
Research questions: How do conceptual primary metaphors differ from conceptual complex metaphors? Are they processed differently?
Data: EEG coherence signals from 50 subjects.
Results: (i) The psychological reality of two conceptual metaphor categories is experimentally validated. (ii) Conceptual primary metaphors are processed faster than conceptual complex metaphors. (iii) Conceptual clarity is higher. (iv) Brain dynamics and active areas differ.
Article.
Presentation (Tomsk), articles. -
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Restructuring in translation - the problem of recategorising information
Generally information units are kept in their ST positions also in target texts whenever possible, although not always yielding optimal translations. Controlled process studies will aim to inform us about the variability in target solutions with a particular view to translators' difficulties/creativity in restructuring information for optimal translation. -
Ongoing research: Translating figurative language
Translating figurative language is highly challenging when concepts reflecting rich or abstract semantic content are involved and when cultural references need to be renegociated in the target language.
Research question: Although skilled translators will usually succeed in producing accurate translations, they may sometimes produce translations of poor quality, devoid of some of the pertinent conceptual details initially present in the message. Why is it so?
Data from professional translators -
Restructuring in translation - the problem of recategorising information
Research question: Is it so that generally, information units are kept in their ST positions also in target texts whenever possible, although not always yielding optimal translations? Controlled process studies are aimed at to inform us about the variability in target solutions with a particular view to translators' difficulties/creativity in restructuring information for optimal translation.
