Abstract
The field of Interpreting Studies (IS) has witnessed an exponential increase in the development of new data-gathering techniques aimed at investigating some of the underlying cognitive and psychological processes.The present article provides a preliminary look into research studies applying eye tracking technology in the field of IS over the past few decades. The present study also aims at exploring the theoretical basis for different applications of eye tracking equipment in the investigation of the cognitive processes underlying interpreting by analyzing empirical research studies related to cognitive aspects of translation. The sampled studies are analyzed in terms of the contribution they provide for the joint development of eye tracking research in IS, in terms of the methodology used and the way data are processed and presented.Finally, the present article concludes with a discussion on future research focusing on possible developments and applications of eye tracking to authentic interpreting situational contexts. The final section presents new challenges and opportunities for unexplored applications of eye tracking in the field of IS. It is argued that interdisciplinary approaches can show the full range of possibilities of eye tracking research in the field of IS.
Highlights
The fact that eye movements may be a source of information on human cognitive processes and psychological aspects is not a discovery of modern science
The findings examined in the present article along with the empirical support for the read-ahead hypothesis (Huang, 2011) may have important pedagogical repercussions for interpreting trainers, who are encouraged to put more emphasis on certain cognitive aspects supported by empirical data, such as the fact that interpreting training should focus more on developing translation strategies than on enhancing trainee interpreters’ language skills
A new pilot study was conducted by Kokanova et al (2018) involving reading and sight translation and it would be interesting for scholars to delve into the possibilities of applying eye tracking research in all the different practical modes of simultaneous interpreting
Summary
The fact that eye movements may be a source of information on human cognitive processes and psychological aspects is not a discovery of modern science. In ancient China the philosopher Mencius once stated: “Look at the pupil of a man’s eye How can he conceal his character?” (Note 1), perceiving the pupil as the door to an inner psychological world. Over the past few decades, numerous disciplines have conducted eye tracking research, including cognitive science, psychology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), marketing research, medical research (neurological diagnosis), and psycholinguistics, most notably with the visual world paradigm, which was initiated by Tanenhaus et al (1995). Most of the existing studies are limited to different aspects of sight translation The pioneers of this new direction of research were McDonald & Carpenter (1981). Over the past few decades, scholars have been using eye tracking as a methodology for research on the translation process (Chang, 2011; Hyönä et al, 1995; Pavlović & Jensen, 2009; Sharmin et al, 2008)
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