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Article published In:
Cognitive Translation and Interpreting Studies in the Early Twenty First Century
Edited by Adolfo M. García, Edinson Muñoz and Néstor Singer
[Translation, Cognition & Behavior 6:2] 2023
► pp. 164–186

Wearable eye trackers

Methodological challenges, opportunities and perspectives for sight interpreting/translation

ORCID logo | Dalian Maritime University
ORCID logo | University of Copenhagen
ORCID logo | Queen’s University Belfast

Sight interpreting/translation (SiT) refers to the mode of communication in which source language information is received via reading and target language output is produced either in oral form or sign language. The cognitive aspect of SiT has been examined empirically with participant-, product-, and process-oriented methods, as well as multi-method approaches. Previous SiT research has benefitted from eye tracking technology due to the dominance of visual input during SiT. However, previous studies have used screen-based eye trackers, where stimuli are confined to the screen, and the potential impact of elements beyond the screen cannot be captured, leading to an oversight of the interactional aspect of SiT. Thus, we suggest wearable eye trackers in future SiT studies to thoroughly explore the underlying cognitive mechanisms of this modality. Moreover, we argue that future SiT studies can benefit from triangulating eye tracking data with subjective data, such as interviews, to better understand SiT.

Keywords: sight interpreting/translation, wearable eye tracker, methodology, cognitive studies
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Cognitive SiT studies with participant-oriented methods
    • 1.2Cognitive SiT studies with product-oriented methods
    • 1.3Cognitive SiT studies with process-oriented methods
    • 1.4Cognitive SiT studies with multi-method approaches
  • 2.Wearable eye tracking equipment
    • 2.1Technological principles, types of equipment and indicators
    • 2.2Assumptions and hypotheses
  • 3.SiT and eye tracking glasses – reflections on data collection, management and analysis
    • 3.1Collecting eye tracking data for SiT studies
    • 3.2Managing eye tracking data in SiT studies
    • 3.3Combining eye tracking with other methods in SiT
  • 4.Wearable eye trackers in SiT: Potential and methodological considerations
    • 4.1The future of SiT and wearable eye trackers
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 7 March 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tcb.00084.xia
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