Researching the invisible: multi-methodological developments in cognitive translatology

ABSTRACT

Much like other trends in translation and interpreting studies (TIS), cognitive approaches have long been marked by methodological challenges. Pioneering process-oriented works were mainly informed by speculative descriptions of carefully selected texts, which limited their validity, generalizability, and scientific robustness at large. Many of these problems were partially circumvented by the emergence of empirical (including experimental) approaches, as these allowed collecting actual evidence on the mental operations involved and forging more objective accounts of the phenomena under scrutiny. Yet, for all their benefits, empirical approaches to cognitive TIS are typified by an essential paradox: whereas empiricism requires observation of concrete data, mental operations are literally non-observable. The works included in the present special issue showcase the variety of methodological approaches with which this apparent paradox can be overcome. At the same time, the diversity of topics addressed in these works further attests to the distinct capabilities of each method while illustrating the breadth of cognitive TIS.

KEYWORDS:

• Translation theory
• professional translation
• interpreting

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Adolfo M. García serves as Scientific Director of the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (INCYT), Assistant Researcher at CONICET, and Professor of Neurolinguistics at the Faculty of Education of UNCuyo. He leads research teams in over a dozen countries and has produced more than 130 publications, including books, chapters, and articles in leading journals on neuroscience, language, and translation. His distinctions include the Most Outstanding Paper Award (Linguistic Association of Canada and the United States, 2013) and the Young Investigator Prize (Argentine Association of Behavioral Science, 2015).

Mónica Giozza is a Sworn Translator in English and holds postgraduate degrees in University Management (RADU) and University Teaching (UNCuyo). She has been the Head of the School of Foreign Languages at Aconcagua University since 2014 and has served as Professor of Theory and Practice of Translation at that institution since 1996. She has carried out several research studies on TPR since 2002 and has been a member of the TREC network since its foundation in the year 2011.

ORCID

Adolfo M. García http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6936-0114

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by CONICET, FONCYT-PICT (2017-1818), the INECO Foundation, and Aconcagua University. Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas.