In:Translation in Transition: Between cognition, computing and technology
Edited by Arnt Lykke Jakobsen and Bartolomé Mesa-Lao
[Benjamins Translation Library 133] 2017
► pp. 107–134
Chapter 4Translation, post-editing and directionality
A study of effort in the Chinese-Portuguese language pair
Published online: 30 September 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.133.04lou
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.133.04lou
Translation process research has focused on alphabetic scripts in post-editing and translation tasks from the second language (L2) into the mother tongue (L1). This chapter approaches translation and post-editing tasks involving Chinese, which has a logographic script, in combination with Portuguese. The aim is to compare task type (translation and post-editing) and directionality (L2-L1 and L1-L2) focusing on cognitive and temporal measures of effort. Eye-tracking and key-logging data were collected from 18 Chinese professional translators in four consecutive translation/post-editing sessions. The results point to a significant impact of directionality and task type on virtually all cognitive measures investigated by means of a linear mixed-effect regression model. However, directionality and task type had no significant impact on total task time.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Review of literature
- 3.Methodology
- 3.1Equipment and analysis tools
- 3.2Participants
- 3.3Data quality
- 3.4The experimental texts
- 3.5Task execution
- 3.6Data processing
- 3.7Data analysis
- 4.Results and discussion
- 5.Final remarks
- Appendix
Acknowledgments Notes References
References (54)
Alves, Fabio, Adriana Pagano, and Igor Antônio Lourenço da Silva. 2014. “Effortful Text Production in Translation: A Study of Grammatical (De)Metaphorization Drawing on Product and Process Data.” Translation and Interpreting Studies 7 (1): 24–51.
AuTema-PostEd Group. 2013. “Post-Editing and Translating in the Chinese-Portuguese Language Pair: Preliminary Results of an Eye-Tracking and Key-Logging Study.” Oral Communication at XI Congresso Internacional da ABRAPT e V Congresso Internacional de Tradutores
. Florianópolis, September 23–26.
Balling, Laura, and Michael Carl. 2014. “Production Time Across Language and Tasks: A Large-Scale Analysis Using the CRITT Translation Process Database.” In The Development of Translation Competence: Theories and Methodologies from Psycholinguistics and Cognitive Science, ed. by John Schwieter, and Aline Ferreira, 239–268. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholar Publishing.
Bates, Douglas, Martin Maechler, and Ben Bolker. 2014. “lme4: Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using Eigen and S4. R Package Version 3.0.2.” CRAN. 2014. Available at [URL] (Accessed on June 10, 2014).
Buchweitz, Augusto, and Fabio Alves. 2006. “Cognitive Adaptation in Translation: an Interface between Language Direction, Time, and Recursiveness in Target Text Production.” Letras de Hoje 41: 241–272.
Carl, Michael. 2012a. “Translog-II: A Program for Recording User Activity Data for Empirical Reading and Writing Research.” Proceedings of the
Eighth International Conference on Language Resource and Evaluation
, 4108–4122. Istanbul: European Language Resources Association, 2012a.
. 2012b. “The CRITT TPR-DB 1.0: A Database for Empirical Human Translation Process Research." In Proceedings of the AMTA 2012 Workshop on Post-Editing Technology and Practice (WTPT 2012), ed. by Sharon O’Brien, Michel Simard, and Lucia Specia, 9–18. Stroudsburg: Association for Machine Translation in the Americas (AMTA).
Carl, Michael, Moritz Schaeffer, and Srinivas Bangalore. 2016. “The CRITT Translation Process Research Database.” In New Directions in Empirical Translation Process Research: Exploring the CRITT TPR-DB, ed. by Michael Carl, Srinivas Bangalore, and Moritz Schaeffer, 9–54. Cham: Springer.
Carl, Michael, and Arnt Lykke Jakobsen. 2009. “Towards Statistical Modelling of Translator's Activity Data.” International Journal of Speech Technology 12 (4): 125–138.
Carl, Michael, and Barbara Dragsted. 2012. “Inside the Monitor Model: Process of Default and Challenged Translation Production.” Translation: Corpora, Computation, Cognition (Special Issue on the Crossroads Between Contrastive Linguistics, Translation Studies and Machine Translation) 2 (1): 127–145.
Carl, Michael, Barbara Dragsted, Jakob Elming, Daniel Hardt, and Arnt Lykke Jakobsen. 2011. “The Process of Post-Editing: A Pilot Study.” Copenhagen Studies in Language 41: 131–142.
Carl, Michael, Silke Gutermuth, and Silvia Hansen-Schirra. 2015. “Post-Editing Machine Translation: Eiciency, Strategies, and Revision Processes in Professional Translation Settings.” In Psycholinguistic and Cognitive Inquiries into Translation and Interpreting, ed. by Aline Ferreira, and John Schwieter, 145–174. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Chang, Vincent Chieh-Ying. 2009. Testing Applicability of Eye-Tracking and fMRI to Translation and Interpreting Studies: An Investigation into Directionality. London: Unpublished PhD thesis, Imperial College London.
Čulo, Oliver, Silke Gutermuth, Silvia Hansen-Schirra, and Jean Nitzke. 2014. “The Influence of Post-Editing on Translation Strategies.” In Post-Editing of Machine Translation, ed. by Sharon O'Brien, Laura Winther Balling, Michael Carl, Michel Simard, and Lucia Specia, 200–218. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Elming, Jakob, Laura Winther Balling, and Michael Carl. 2014. “Investigating User Behaviour in Post-Editing and Translation using the CasMaCat Workbench.” In Post-Editing of Machine Translation, ed. by Sharon O'Brien, Laura Winther Balling, Michael Carl, Michael Simard, and Lucia Specia, 147–169. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Ericsson, K. Anders. 2006. “An Introduction to Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance: Its Development, Organization, and Content.” In The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, ed. by K. Anders Ericsson, Neil Charness, Paul J. Feltovich, and Robert R. Hoffman, 3–20. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Escaleira, Lurdes. 2013. “Mercado de Trabalho da Tradução Português-Chinês, em Macau.” Administração 102 (4): 1115–1136.
Ferreira, Aline. 2014. “Analyzing Recursiveness Patterns and Retrospective Protocols of Professional Translators in L1 and L2 Translation Tasks.” Translation and Interpreting Studies 9 (1): 109–127.
. 2010. Direcionalidade em Tradução: Uma Investigação do Processamento Cognitivo de Tradutores Profissionais em Tradução Direta e Inversa no Par Linguístico Inglês-Português. Belo Horizonte: Unpublished MA Thesis.
Ferreira, Aline, John Wayne Schwieter, Alexandra Gottardo, and Jefferey Jones. 2016. “Cognitive effort in direct and inverse translation performance: insight from eye-tracking technology.” Cadernos de Tradução 36 (3): 60–80.
Huang, Chih-Chieh. 2011. Tracking Eye Movements in Sight Translation – The Comprehension Process in Interpreting 視譯閱讀理解歷程之眼動研究. Taipei: Unpublished Thesis, National Taiwan Normal University.
Huang, Jin, and Akshay Minocha. 2014. “Cognitive Process of Revision: The Behaviours and the Motivations Behind.” Oral communication at
Translation in Transition: Between Cognition, Computing and Technology
. Copenhagen, January 30–31.
Hunziker Heeb, Andrea. 2015. “Does Professional Translation into L2 Involve More Effort than into L1?” Oral communication at
4th Translation Process Research Workshop
. Las Palmas, January 15–17.
Hvelplund, Kristian T. 2011. Allocation of Cognitive Resources in Translation: An Eye-Tracking and Key-Logging Study. Published PhD Thesis. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School.
Hyönä, Jukka, Robert F. Lorch Jr., and Mick Rinck. 2003. “Eye Movements Measures to Study Global Text Processing.” In In The Mind's Eye: Cognitive and Applied Aspects of Eye Movement Research, ed. by Ralph Radach, Jukka Hyönä, and Heiner Deubel, 313–334. Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Jakobsen, Arnt L. 2003. “Effects of think aloud on translation speed, revision, and segmentation.” In Triangulating translation, ed. by Fabio Alves, 69–96. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
. 2011. “Tracking Translators' Keystrokes and Eye Movements with Translog.” In Methods and Strategies of Process Research. Integrative Approaches in Translation Studies, ed. by Cecilia Alvstad, Adelina Hild, and Elisabet Tiselius, 37–55. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Kamari, Elahe. 2015. “Translation Directionality: An Eye Tracking Study.” Oral communication at
ICLL 2015: 18th International Conference on Linguistics and Languages
. Cape Town, November 05–06.
Kelly, Dorothy, Anne Martin, Marie-Luise Nobs, Dolorès Sanchez, and Catherine Way. 2003. “Reflexiones en Torno a Algunos Conceptos Básicos.” In La direccionalidad en Traducción e Interpretación. Perspectivas Teóricas, Profesionales y Didácticas, ed. by Dorothy Kelly, Anne Martin, Marie-Luise Nobs, Dolorès Sanchez, and Catherine Way, 33–41. Granada: Atrio.
Krings, Hans P. 2001. Repairing Texts: Emirical Investigations of Machine Translation Post-Editing Processes. Translated by Geoffrey S. Koby, Gregory M. Shreve, Katja Mischerikow, and Sarah Litzer. Kent: Kent State University Press.
Li, Xingjian. 2010. 现代汉语规范词典 [Modern Standard Chinese Dictionary]. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Mesa-Lao, Bartolomé. 2014. “Gaze Behaviour on Source Texts: An Exploratory Study Comparing Translation and Post-Editing.” In Post-Editing of Machine Translation, ed. by Sharon O'Brien, Laura Winther Balling, Michael Carl, Michel Simard, and Lucia Specia. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
O'Brien, Sharon, Laura Winther Balling, Michael Carl, Michael Simard, and Lucia Specia. 2014. Post-Editing of Machine Translation. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Publishing Scholars.
PACTE. 2009. “Results of the Validation of the PACTE Translation Competence Model: Acceptability and Decision-Making.” Across Language and Cultures 10 (2): 207–230.
. 2011. “Results of the Validation of the PACTE Translation Competence Model: Translation Problems and Translation Competence.” In Methods and Strategies of Process Research: Integrative Approaches in Translation Studies, ed. by Cecilia Alvstad, Adelina Hild, and Elisabet Tiselius, 317–343. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
. 2014. “First Results of PACTE Group's Experimental Research on Translation Competence Acquisition: The Acquisition of Declarative Knowledge of Translation.” MonTI Special Issue – Minding Translation, 85–115.
Pagano, Adriana, and Igor da Silva. 2010. “Text Segmentation and Task Representation as Indicators of Translator's Performance: Insights from Translation Process Research.” In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Translation and Interpretation, 117–122. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University.
Pavlović, Nataša. 2007. “Directionality in Translation and Interpreting Practice. Report on a Questionnaire Survey in Croatia.” Forum 5 (2): 79–99.
Pavlović, Nataša, and Kristian Jensen. 2009. “Eye Tracking Translation Directionality.” In Translation Research Projects 2, ed. by Anthony Pym, and Alexander Perekrestenko, 93–109. Tarragona: Intercultural Studies Group.
Pokorn, Nike. 2005. Challenging the Traditional Axioms: Translation into a Non-Mother Tongue. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Rayner, Keith. 1998. “Eye Movements in Reading and Information Processing.” Psychological Bulletin, 372–422.
Schmaltz, Marcia. 2013. “Apresentação: Panorama da Tradução entre as Línguas Chinesa e Portuguesa.” Cadernos de Literatura em Tradução 14: 13–21.
. 2012. “English-Chinese Manual and Post-Ed Translation Process: A Comparative Pilot Study.” Oral communication at
International Workshop on Expertise in Translation and Post-Editing – Research and Application
. Copenhagen, August 17–18.
da Silva, Igor A.L., Marcia Schmaltz, Fabio Alves, Adriana Pagano, Derek Wong, Lidia Chao, Ana Luísa V. Leal, Paulo Quaresma, and Caio Garcia. 2015. “Translating and Post-Editing in the Chinese-Portuguese Language Pair. Insights from an Exploratory Study of Key Logging and Eye Tracking”. Translation Spaces 4 (1): 145–169.
Sjørup, Annette Camilla. 2013. Cognitive Effort in Metaphor Translation: An Eye Tracking and Key-Logging Study. Published PhD Thesis. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School.
Staub, Adrian, and Keith Rayner. 2007. “Eye Movements and On-line Comprehension Processes.” In The Oxford Handbook of Psycholinguistics, ed. by Gareth Gaskell, 327–342. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tian, Liang, Derek F. Wong, and Lidia S. Chao. 2011. “Word Alignment Using GIZA++ on Windows.” In Proceedings of the Machine Translation Summit XIII, 369–372. Xiamen: Asia-Pacific Association for Machine Translation.
Vasconcellos, Sonia M.R., Martha M. Sorenson, and Jacqueline Leta. 2007. “Scientist-Friendly Policies for Non-Native English-Speaking Authors: Timely and Welcome.” Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research 40: 743–747.
Wong, Derek, and Lidia S. Chao. “PCT: Portuguese-Chinese Machine Translation Systems.” Journal of Translation Studies 13 (1–2): 181–196.
Zeng, Xiaodong, Derek F. Wong, Lidia S. Chao, and Isabel Trancoso. 2013. “Graph-Based Semi-Supervised Model for Joint Chinese Word Segmentation and Part-of-Speech Tagging.” Proceedings of the The 51st Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL 2013), 770–779. Sofia: Association for Computational Linguistics.
Cited by (16)
Cited by 16 other publications
Sun, Sanjun, Hao Wang, Yanfang Jia & Bekalu Tadesse Moges
Quinci, Carla
Wang, Yu & Ali Jalalian Daghigh
Cui, Ying, Xiao Liu & Yuqin Cheng
Huang, Jie & Jianhua Wang
Jia, Yanfang & Sanjun Sun
Jankowiak, Katarzyna & Olha Lehka-Paul
Pietryga, Marcelina
Whyatt, Bogusława
2022. In search of directionality effectsin the translation processand in the end product. Translation, Cognition & Behavior ► pp. 79 ff.
Hunziker Heeb, Andrea, Caroline Lehr & Maureen Ehrensberger-Dow
Stasimioti, Maria, Vilelmini Sosoni & Konstantinos Chatzitheodorou
Whyatt, Bogusława & Nataša Pavlović
Whyatt, Bogusława, Olga Witczak & Ewa Tomczak
Sekino, Kyoko
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 15 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
