Abstract
Does a particular cognitive profile influence the translation process? And if so, what factors or cognitive aptitudes are quality indicators? The truth is there is still much to be done in the field of research to answer these questions. Existing literature on the translator’s cognitive profile in translation studies has so far mainly focused on revealing the role of certain cognitive abilities (e.g., intuition, emotional intelligence) in the process and product of literary translation and interpreting. But the question still remains as to whether the impact of these abilities may differ in different types of translation. To try to shed some light on the role of translators’ intellectual capacity, this study proposes an experiment focused on analyzing the role of intelligence in the translation of two different types of texts (a literary and a technical one). The Spanish BAT-7 test battery was used to measure participants’ IQ, aptitude levels, and creative intelligence. Results reveal that higher levels of certain cognitive aptitudes may lead to higher-quality translations. Interestingly, results point to the crucial role of concentration in translation quality and creativity, especially in originality. In addition, fluid intelligence is also pointed to as essential to a high-quality translation.
Published Version
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