Eye tracking and the translation process: reflections on the analysis and interpretation of eye-tracking data

Article Sidebar

PDF
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6035/MonTI.2014.ne1.6
Keywords:
Translation, Eye tracking, Assumptions, Data quality, Indicators

Main Article Content

Kristian Tangsgaard Hvelplund

Abstract

Eye tracking has become increasingly popular as a quantitative research method in translation research. This paper discusses some of the major methodological issues involved in the use of eye tracking in translation research. It focuses specifically on challenges in the analysis and interpretation of eye-tracking data as reflections of cognitive processes during translation. Four types of methodological issues are discussed in the paper. The first part discusses the preparatory steps that precede the actual recording of eye-tracking data. The second part examines critically the general assumptions linking eye movements to cognitive processing in the context of translation research. The third part of the paper discusses two popular eye-tracking measures often used in translation research, fixations and pupil size, while the fourth part proposes a method to evaluate the quality of eye-tracking data.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Hvelplund, K. T. (2015). Eye tracking and the translation process: reflections on the analysis and interpretation of eye-tracking data. MonTI. Monographs in Translation and Interpreting, 201–223. https://doi.org/10.6035/MonTI.2014.ne1.6
Issue
2014: Special Issue 1. Minding translation / Con la traducción en mente
Section
Articles

The documents contained in these directories are included by the contributing authors as a means to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work on a non-commercial basis. It is understood that all persons copying this information will adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. These works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

References

Ahern, Sylvia & Beatty Jackson. (1979) “Pupillary responses during information processing vary with scholastic aptitude test scores.” Science 205:4412, pp. 1289–1292.

Alves, Fábio; Adriana Pagano & Igor da Silva. (2009) “A new window on translators’ cognitive activity: methodological issues in the combined use of eye tracking, key logging and retrospective protocols.” In: Mees, Inger M; Fábio Alves & Susanne Göpferich (eds.) 2009. Methodology, Technology and Innovation in Translation Process Research. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur, pp. 267–292.

Alves, Fábio; Adriana Pagano & Igor da Silva. (2011) “Towards an investigation of Reading modalities in/for translation: An exploratory study using eye-tracking data. In: O’Brien, Sharon (ed.) Cognitive Explorations of Translation. London: Continuum, pp. 175–196.

Alves, Fábio; José Luiz Gonçalves & Karina Szpak. (2012) “Identifying instances of processing effort in translation through heat maps: An eye tracking study using multiple sources. Proceedings of the First Workshop on Eye-tracking and Natural Language Processing, COLING December 2012, pp. 5–20. Electronic version available at: http://www.aclweb.org/anthology-new/W/W12/W12-49.pdf on 9 January 2013.

Balling, Laura Winther. (2008) “A brief introduction to regression designs and mixed-effects modelling by a recent convert.” In: Göpferich, Susanne; Arnt L. Jakobsen & Inger M. Mees (eds.) Looking at Eyes: Eye-Tracking Studies of Reading and Translation Processing. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur, pp. 175–192.

Balling, Laura Winther & Kristian Tangsgaard Hvelplund. [In preparation] “Quality in quantitative translation research.”

Balling, Laura Winther; Kristian Tangsgaard Hvelplund & Annette Camilla Sjørup. (accepted, 2014) “Evidence of parallel processing during translation.” Meta 59/2.

Caffrey, Colm. (2008) “Using pupillometric, fixation-based and subjective measures to measure the processing effort experienced when viewing subtitled TV anime with pop-up gloss.” In: Göpferich, Susanne; Arnt L. Jakobsen & Inger M. Mees (eds.) Looking at Eyes: Eye-Tracking Studies of Reading and Translation Processing. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur, pp. 125–144.

Chang, Vincent Chieh-ying. (2009) Testing Applicability of Eye-tracking and fMRI to Translation and Interpreting Studies: An Investigation into Directionality. PhD thesis. London: Imperial College.

Dragsted, Barbara & Michael Carl. (2013) “Towards a classification of translation styles based on eye-tracking and keylogging data.” Journal of Writing Research 5:1, pp. 133–158.

Dragsted, Barbara & Inge Gorm Hansen. (2008) “Comprehension and production in translation.” In: Göpferich, Susanne; Arnt L. Jakobsen & Inger M. Mees (eds.) Looking at Eyes: Eye-Tracking Studies of Reading and Translation Processing. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur, pp. 9–30.

Duchowski, Andrew T. (2007) Eye Tracking Methodology: Theory and Practice. London: Springer.

Ehrensberger-Dow, Maureen & Gary Massey. (2013) “Indicators of translation competence: Translators’ self-concepts and the translation of titles.” Journal of Writing Research 5:1, pp. 103–131.

Ehrlich, Susan F. & Keith Rayner. (1981) “Contextual effects on word perception and eye movements during reading. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 20:6, pp. 641–655.

Hess, Eckhard H. & James M. Polt. (1964) “Pupil size in relation to mental activity in simple problem solving.” Science 143:3611, pp. 1190–1192.

Holmqvist, Kenneth; Marcus Nystrom; Richard Andersson; Richard Dewhurst; Halszka Jarodzka & Joost van de Weijer (2011). Eye Tracking: A Comprehensive Guide to Methods and Measures. New York: Oxford University Press.

Hvelplund, Kristian Tangsgaard. (2011) Allocation of Cognitive Resources in Translation: An Eye-tracking and Key-logging Study. PhD thesis. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School.

Hyönä, Jukka; Jorma Tommola & Anna-Mari Alaja. (1995) “Pupil dilation as a measure of processing load in simultaneous interpretation and other language tasks.” Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 48A: 598–612.

Inhoff, Albrecht Werner & Keith Rayner. (1986) “Parafoveal word processing during eye fixations in reading: Effects of word frequency.” Perception & Psychophysics 40:6, pp. 431–439.

Jakobsen, Arnt Lykke & Kristian Tangsgaard Hvelplund Jensen. (2008) “Eye movement behaviour across four different types of reading task.” In: Göpferich, Susanne; Arnt L. Jakobsen & Inger M. Mees (eds.) Looking at Eyes: Eye-Tracking Studies of Reading and Translation Processing. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur, pp. 103–124.

Jensen, Kristian Tangsgaard Hvelplund; Annette Camilla Sjørup & Laura Winther Balling. (2009) “Effects of L1 syntax on L2 translation.” In: Mees, Inger M.; Fábio Alves & Susanne Göpferich (eds.) Methodology, Technology and Innovation in Translation Process Research. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur, pp. 319–338.

Just, Marcel Adam & Patricia A. Carpenter. (1980) “A theory of reading: From eye fixations to comprehension.” Psychological Review 87:4, pp. 329–354.

O’Brien, Sharon. (2006) “Eye-tracking and translation memory matches.” Perspectives: Studies in Translatology 14, pp. 185–203.

O’Brien, Sharon. (2009) “Eye tracking in translation-process research: methodological challenges and solutions.” In: Mees, Inger M.; Fábio Alves & Susanne Göpferich (eds.) Methodology, Technology and Innovation in Translation Process Research. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur, pp. 251–266.

Pavlović, Nataša & Kristian T. Hvelplund Jensen. (2009) “Eye tracking translation directionality.” In: Pym, Anthony & Alexander Perekrestenko (eds.) 2009. Translation Research Projects 2. Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, pp. 101–119. Electronic version available at: http://www.tobii.com/Global/Analysis/Marketing/Research%20Paper/linguistics%20psychology/Eye%20tracking%20translation%20directionality.pdf

Posner, Michael I. (2011) “Orienting of attention.” Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 32:1, pp. 3–25.

Rayner, Keith. (1998) “Eye movements in reading and information processing.” Psychological Bulletin 124:3, pp. 372–422.

Rayner, Keith & Alexander Pollatsek. (1989) The Psychology of Reading. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Sharmin, Selina; Oleg Špakov; Kari-Jouko Räihä & Arnt L. Jakobsen. (2008) “Where on the screen do translation students look while translation, and for how long?” In: Göpferich, Susanne; Arnt L. Jakobsen & Inger M. Mees (eds.) Looking at Eyes: Eye-Tracking Studies of Reading and Translation Processing. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur, pp. 31–52.

Sjørup, Annette Camilla. (2013) Cognitive Effort in Metaphor Translation: An Eye-tracking and Key-logging Study. PhD thesis. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School.

Smallwood, Jonathan & Jonathan W. Schooler. (2006) “The restless mind.” Psychological Bulletin 132:6, pp. 946–958.

Valdés, Berenice; Andrés Catena & Paloma Marí-Beffa. (2005) “Automatic and controlled semantic processing: A masked prime-task effect.” Consciousness and Cognition 14:2, pp. 278–295.