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Interdisciplinarity in Translation and Interpreting Process Research
Edited by Maureen Ehrensberger-Dow, Susanne Göpferich and Sharon O'Brien
[Benjamins Current Topics 72] 2015
► pp. 18–33

Cognitive load in simultaneous interpreting

Measures and methods

ORCID logo | University of Geneva, Switzerland

The mental effort required to perform a simultaneous interpreting task or the cognitive load generated by it has attracted the interest of many a researcher in the field. To date, however, there is little agreement on the most suitable method to measure this phenomenon. In this contribution, I set out to discuss four of the most common methods of measuring cognitive load and the way in which they have been applied in interpreting research, providing examples for each and highlighting their respective advantages and disadvantages. The main focus of the contribution will be on pupillometry, a psycho-physiological method I deem to be among the most promising approaches to objectively measure cognitive load during simultaneous interpreting in real time.

Keywords: analytical methods, cognitive load, mental effort, methodology, performance methods, psycho-physiological methods, pupillometry, simultaneous interpreting, subjective methods
Published online: 11 June 2015
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/bct.72.03see
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