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Article published In:
Translation, Cognition & Behavior
Vol. 3:2 (2020) ► pp.263–286

Cognitive load in relation to non-standard language input

Insights from interpreting, translation and neuropsychology

ORCID logo | Zurich University of Applied Sciences
ORCID logo | Zurich University of Applied Sciences
ORCID logo | Zurich University of Applied Sciences
ORCID logo | Zurich University of Applied Sciences
| University of Zurich
| University of Zurich
ORCID logo | University of Zurich
ORCID logo | University of Zurich
The linguistic, psycholinguistic, and neural processes underlying simultaneous interpreting and translation have attracted widespread interest in the research community. However, an understanding of the cognitive load associated with these bilingual activities is just starting to emerge, and the underlying behavioral and physiological mechanisms are still poorly understood. In this article, we describe a promising interdisciplinary approach to assess the behavioral and physiological indices of cognitive load during interpreting and translation in laboratory and simulated workplace settings. In this context, we emphasize the importance of ecological validity and explain how comparisons between authentic non-standard input and edited English versions of the same stimuli can be used to evaluate cognitive load while controlling for the general cognitive demands associated with interpreting and translation. The perspective we present in this article might pave the way for a clearer understanding of the multifaceted dimensions of cognitive load during simultaneous interpreting and translation as well as during the processing of English as Lingua Franca.
Keywords: simultaneous interpreting, English as a lingua franca, cognitive load, mixed methods, EEG
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Cognitive load in interpreting studies
  • 3.Overview of neuropsychological studies on cognitive control in interpreters
    • 3.1Functional neuroimaging studies
    • 3.2Structural neuroimaging studies
    • 3.3Electrophysiological studies
  • 4.Evidence pointing to ELF adding to interpreters’ cognitive load
  • 5.Measuring cognitive load associated with non-standard input
    • 5.1Simulated workplace setting
    • 5.2Neuropsychology laboratory setting
  • 6.An interdisciplinary approach to investigating cognitive load
  • 7.Implications and future directions
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 10 November 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tcb.00044.alb
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Cited by (6)

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2023. ELF Density: Extending English as a Lingua Franca Research to Monological ELF Texts and Speeches. Applied Linguistics 44:3 ► pp. 505 ff. DOI logo
Dando, Coral J., Paul J. Taylor & Alexandra L. Sandham
2023. Cross cultural verbal cues to deception: truth and lies in first and second language forensic interview contexts. Frontiers in Psychology 14 DOI logo
Albl-Mikasa, Michaela
2022. English as a lingua franca — a paradigm shift for Translation and Interpreting. Slovo.ru: Baltic accent 13:1 ► pp. 65 ff. DOI logo
Albl-Mikasa, Michaela
2024. Relevance of ELF speakers’ source speeches: interpreters’ interventions. Meta 68:2 ► pp. 384 ff. DOI logo

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