Cover not available

Article published In: Target
Vol. 28:1 (2016) ► pp.132–157

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
authorization required

Trait Emotional intelligence and translation

A study of professional translators

 | Aston University
Published online: 10 May 2016
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.28.1.06hub
A study of 155 professional translators was carried out to examine the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) and literary translation, job satisfaction and career success. Participants were surveyed and their answers were correlated with scores from an emotional intelligence measure, the TEIQue. The analysis revealed that literary and non-literary translators have different trait EI profiles. Some significant correlations were found between trait EI and the variables of job satisfaction, career success, and literary translation experience. This is the first study to examine the effect of EI on translator working practices. Findings illustrate that trait EI may be predictive of some aspects of translator behaviour and highlight the relevance of exploring the emotional intelligence of professional translators.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Trait EI and translation
  • 3.Trait EI, job satisfaction and career success
  • 4.The present study
    • 4.1Aims and hypotheses
    • 4.2Method
      • 4.2.1Participants
      • 4.2.2Measures
      • 4.2.3Procedure
      • 4.2.4Statistical analyses
  • 5Results
    • 5.1Literary translation
      • 5.1.1Literary and non-literary translators
      • 5.1.2Literary translation experience
    • 5.2Job satisfaction
    • 5.3Career success
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Trait EI and literary translation
    • 6.2Trait EI and job satisfaction
    • 6.3Trait EI and career success
  • 7.Limitations
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
  • Web References
References (72)
References
Abdolrezapour, Parisa. 2013. “The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and EFL Learners’ Writing Performance.” Procedia — Social and Behavioural Sciences 701: 331–339. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Abdolrezapour, Parisa, and Mansoor Tavakoli. 2012. “The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and EFL Learners’ Achievement in Reading Comprehension.” Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 61: 1–13. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ahmetoglu, Gorkan, Leutner, Franziska, and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. 2011. “EQ-nomics: Understanding the Relationship between Individual Differences in Trait Emotional Intelligence and Entrepreneurship.” Personality and Individual Differences 511: 1028–1033. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Amabile, Teresa M., Sigal G. Barsade, Jennifer S. Mueller, and Barry M. Staw. 2005. “Affect and Creativity at work.” Administrative Science Quarterly 501: 367–403. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Anderson, Jean. 2005. “The Double Agent: Aspects of Literary Translator Affect as Revealed in Fictional Work by Translators.” Linguistica Antverpiensia 41: 171–182.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Austin, Elizabeth J., Timothy C. P. Dore, and Katharine K. O’Donovan. 2008. “Associations of Personality and Emotional Intelligence with Display Rule Perceptions and Emotional Labour.” Personality and Individual Differences 441: 679–688. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Batista, Carlos. 2003. Bréviaire d’un traducteur. Paris: Arléa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bayer-Hohenwarter, Gerrit. 2011. “Creative Shifts as a Means of Measuring and Promoting Translational Creativity.” Meta: Translators’ Journal 561: 663–692. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bereiter, Carl, and Marlene Scardamalia. 1987. The Psychology of Written Composition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bhullar, Navjot, Nicola S. Schutte, and John M. Malouff. 2013. “The Nature of Well-being: the Roles of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Processes and Trait Emotional Intelligence.” The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied 1471: 1–16. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bontempo, Karen, and Karen Malcolm. 2012. “An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure: Educating Interpreters about the Risk of Vicarious Trauma in Healthcare Settings.” In In Our Hands: Educating Healthcare Interpreters, ed. by Karen Malcolm and Laurie Swabey, 105–130. Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chell, Elizabeth. 2008. The Entrepreneurial Personality: A Social Construction. New York: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chell, Elizabeth, and Susan Baines. 2000. “Networking, Entrepreneurship and Microbusiness Behaviour.” Entrepreneurship & Regional Development: An International Journal 121: 195–215. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cherniss, Cary. 2010. “Emotional Intelligence: Toward Clarification of a Concept.” Industrial and Organizational Psychology 31: 110–126. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Davis, Sarah K., and Neil Humphrey. 2012. “Emotional Intelligence Predicts Adolescent Mental Health beyond Personality and Cognitive Ability.” Personality and Individual Differences 521: 144–149. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dawda, Darek, and Stephen D. Hart. 2000. “Assessing Emotional Intelligence: Reliability and Validity of the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) in University Students.” Personality and Individual Differences 281: 797–812. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, Jean-Marc, and James McCloskey. 2015. “Attitudes towards Foreign Accents among Adult Multilingual Language Users.” Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 36 (3): 221–238. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Di Fabio, Annamaria, and Donald H. Saklofske. 2014. “Promoting Individual Resources: The Challenge of Trait Emotional Intelligence.” Personality and Individual Differences 651: 19–23. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Domino, George, and Marla L. Domino. 2006. Psychological Testing: An Introduction. New York: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Downey, Luke A., Patrick J. Johnston, Karen Hansen, Rachel Schembri, Con Stough, Virginia Tuckwell, and Isaac Schweitzer. 2008. “The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Depression in a Clinical Sample.” European Journal of Psychiatry 221: 93–98. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Durastanti, Sylvia. 2002. Éloge de la trahison: Notes du traducteur. Paris: Le Passage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Durlak, Joseph A., Roger P. Weissberg, Allison B. Dymnicki, Rebecca D. Taylor, and Kriston B. Schellinger. 2011. “The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-analysis of School-based Universal Interventions.” Child Development 821: 405–432. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Feist, Gregory J. 1998. “A Meta-analysis of Personality in Scientific and Artistic Creativity.” Personality and Social Psychology Review 21: 290–309. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ferrando, Mercedes, Maria D. Prieto, Leandro S. Almeida, Carmen Ferrándiz, Rosario Bermejo, José A. López-Pina, Daniel Hernández, Marta Sáinz, and Mari-Carmen Fernández. 2011. “Trait Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance. Controlling for the Effects of IQ, Personality, and Self-concept.” Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 291: 150–159. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fredrickson, Barbara. 2001. “The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions.” American Psychologist 561: 218–226. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gardner, Kathryn J., and Pamela Qualter. 2010. “Concurrent and Incremental Validity of Three Trait Emotional Intelligence Measures.” Australian Journal of Psychology 621: 5–13. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ghosn, Irma. 2002. “Four Good Reasons to Use Literature in Primary School ELT.” ELT Journal 561: 172–179. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Goleman, Daniel. 1995. Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hansenne, Michel, and Jessica Legrand. 2012. “Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, and School Performance in Children.” International Journal of Educational Research 531: 264–268. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Joseph, Dana L., and Daniel A. Newman. 2010. “Emotional Intelligence. An Integrative Metaanalysis and Cascading Model.” Journal of Applied Psychology 951: 54–78. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kafetsios, Konstantinos, and Leonidas A. Zampetakis. 2008. “Emotional Intelligence and Job Satisfaction: Testing the Mediatory Role of Positive and Negative Affect at Work.” Personality and Individual Differences 441: 712–722. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kong, Feng, Jingjing Zhao, and Xuqun You. 2012. “Emotional Intelligence and Life Satisfaction in Chinese University Students: The Mediating Role of Self-esteem and Social Support.” Personality and Individual Differences 531: 1039–1043. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lopes, Paulo N., Daisy Grewal, Jessica Kadis, Michelle Gall, and Peter Salovey. 2006. “Evidence that Emotional Intelligence is Related to Job Performance and Affect and Attitudes at Work.” Psicothema 181: 132–138.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Matthews, Gerald, Moshe Zeidner, and Richard D. Roberts. 2004. Emotional Intelligence: Science and Myth. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2007. The Science of Emotional Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2012. “Emotional Intelligence: A Promise Unfulfilled?” Japanese Psychological Research 541: 105–127. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mayer, John D., Peter Salovey, and David R. Caruso. 2008. “Emotional Intelligence: New Ability or Eclectic Traits?” American Psychologist 631: 503–517. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mikolajczak, Moïra, Nathalie Balon, Martine Ruosi, and Ilios Kotsou. 2012. “Sensitive but not Sentimental: Emotionally Intelligent People Can Put Their Emotions aside When Necessary.” Personality and Individual Differences 521: 537–540. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mikolajczak, Moïra, Olivier Luminet, Cécile Leroy, and Emmanuel Roy. 2007. “Psychometric Properties of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire: Factor Structure, Reliability, Construct, and Incremental Validity in a French-speaking Population.” Journal of Personality Assessment 881: 338–353. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mikolajczak, Moïra, Konstantinos V. Petrides, Nathalie Coumans, and Olivier Luminet. 2009. “The Moderating Effect of Trait Emotional Intelligence on Mood Deterioration Following Laboratory-Induced Stress.” International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology 91: 455–477.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Muñoz Martín, Ricardo. 2010. “The Way They Were: Subject Profiling in Translation Process Research.” In Methodology, Technology and Innovation in Translation Process Research: A Tribute to Arnt Lykke Jakobsen, ed. by Susanne Göpferich, Fabio Alves, and Inger M. Mees, 87–108. Copenhagen: Samfundslitteratur.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
O’Boyle, Ernest H., Ronald H. Humphrey, Jeffrey M. Pollack, Thomas H. Hawver, and Paul A. Story. 2011. “The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Job Performance: A Meta-analysis.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 321: 788–818. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ożańska-Ponikwia, Katarzina. 2013. Emotions from a Bilingual Point of View: Personality and Emotional Intelligence in Relation to Perception and Expression of Emotions in the L1 and L2. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ożańska-Ponikwia, Katarzina, and Jean-Marc Dewaele. 2012. “Personality and L2 Use: The Advantage of Being Openminded and Self-confident in an Immigration Context.” EUROSLA Yearbook 121: 112–134. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Parker, James D. A., Graeme J. Taylor, and Michael R. Bagby. 2001. “The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Alexithymia.” Personality and Individual Differences 301: 107–115. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pennebaker, James W., and Cindy K. Chung. 2011. “Expressive Writing and Its Links to Mental and Physical Health.” In Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology, ed. by Howard S. Friedman, 417–437. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Petrides, Kostantinos V. 2009. Technical Manual for the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue; 1st ed., 1st printing). London: London Psychometric Laboratory.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2010. “Trait Emotional Intelligence Theory.” Industrial and Organizational Psychology 31: 136–139. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Petrides, Kostantinos V., and Adrian Furnham. 2003. “Trait Emotional Intelligence: Behavioural Validation in Two Studies of Emotion Recognition and Reactivity to Mood Induction.” European Journal of Personality 171: 39–57. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Petrides, Kostantinos V., Lisa Niven, and Thalia Mouskounti. 2006. “The Trait Emotional Intelligence of Ballet Dancers and Musicians.” Psicothema 181: 101–107.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Petrides, Kostantinos V., Ria Pita, and Flora Kokkinaki. 2007. “The Location of Trait Emotional Intelligence in Personality Factor Space.” British Journal of Psychology 981: 273–289. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Platsidou, Maria. 2010. “Trait Emotional Intelligence of Greek Special Education Teachers in Relation to Burnout and Job Satisfaction.” School Psychology International 311: 60–76. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Robinson, Douglas. 1997. Becoming a Translator. London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Russ, Sandra W. 1993. Affect and Creativity. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1998. Affect, Creative Experience and Psychological Adjustment. Ann Arbor, MI: Braun-Brumfield.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sánchez-Ruiz, María José, Daniel Hernández-Torrano, Juan Carlos Pérez-González, Mark Batey, and Kostantinos Petrides. 2011. “The Relationship between Trait Emotional Intelligence and Creativity across Subject Domains.” Motivation and Emotion 351: 461–473. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sánchez-Ruiz, María José, Stella Mavroveli, and Joseph Poullis. 2013. “Trait Emotional Intelligence and its Links to University Performance: An Examination.” Personality and Individual Differences 541: 658–662. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schutte, Nicola S., and John M. Malouff. 2011. “Emotional Intelligence Mediates the Relationship between Mindfulness and Subjective Well-being.” Personality and Individual Differences 501: 1116–1119. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sevdalis, Nick, Konstantinos V. Petrides, and Nigel Harvey. 2007. “Trait Emotional Intelligence and Decision-related Emotions.” Personality and Individual Differences 421: 1347–1358. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shao, KaiQi, WeiHua Yu, and ZhongMin Ji. 2013. “The Relationship between EFL Students’ Emotional Intelligence and Writing Achievement.” Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 71: 107–124. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Siegling, Alexander B., Mireille Sfeir, and Hedley John Smyth. 2014. “Measured and Self-estimated Trait Emotional Intelligence in a UK Sample of Managers.” Personality and Individual Differences 651: 59–64. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Siegling, Alexander B., Donald H. Saklofske, Ashley K. Vesely, and David W. Nordstokke. 2012. “Relations of Emotional Intelligence with Gender-linked Personality: Implications for a Refinement of EI Constructs.” Personality and Individual Differences 521: 776–781. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sinclair, Helen, and Janet Feigenbaum. 2012. “Trait Emotional Intelligence and Borderline Personality Disorder.” Personality and Individual Differences 521: 674–679. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vesely, Ashley K., Donald H. Saklofske, and David W. Nordstokke. 2014. “EI Training and Pre-Service Teacher Wellbeing.” Personality and Individual Differences 651: 81–85. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Weigle, Sara C. 2002. Assessing Reading. London: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zampetakis, Leonidas A. 2008. “The Role of Creativity and Proactivity on Perceived Entrepreneurial Desirability.” Thinking Skills and Creativity 31: 154–162. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ziliak, Stephen T., and Deirdre McCloskey. 2008. The Cult of Statistical Significance: How the Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice and Lives. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Web References
American Literary Translators Association (ALTA). 2010a. What is literary translation? Retrieved from [URL]
. 2010b. ALTA Guides to Literary Translation. Retrieved from [URL]
European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL). 2010a. Comparative income of literary translators in Europe. Retrieved from [URL]
. 2010b. Working conditions. Retrieved from [URL]
Pym, Anthony. 2004. On the social and the cultural in Translation Studies. Retrieved from [URL]
Cited by (28)

Cited by 28 other publications

Ameri, Saeed & Pouria Sadrnia
2025. Examining the interplay between translation students’ grit, self-efficacy and academic achievement. Babel. Revue internationale de la traduction / International Journal of Translation / Revista Internacional de Traducción 71:5 ► pp. 599 ff. DOI logo
Whyatt, Bogusława, Anna Hatzidaki & Brian French
2025. Participant profiling. In Research Methods in Cognitive Translation and Interpreting Studies [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 10], ► pp. 21 ff. DOI logo
Girletti, Sabrina
2024. Beyond the assembly line: exploring salaried linguists’ satisfaction with translation, revision and PE tasks. Tradumàtica tecnologies de la traducció :22 ► pp. 207 ff. DOI logo
Karnaukh , Anastasiya
2024. Comparison of psychological personality tests and their potential use in translation studies. Language. Culture. Politics. International Journal 1 ► pp. 39 ff. DOI logo
Monzó-Nebot, Esther & Cristina R. Álvarez-Álvarez
2024. Healthcare interpreters X, Y, Z. Translation Spaces 13:1 ► pp. 126 ff. DOI logo
Mueller, Grace & Aashma Baniya
2024. ‘Caring’ Through Translation: A Dialogue on Ethics and Inclusivity in Cross-Language Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods 23 DOI logo
Ruokonen, Minna & Elin Svahn
2024. What do we know about translators’ job satisfaction?. Translation Spaces 13:1 ► pp. 7 ff. DOI logo
Ruokonen, Minna & Elin Svahn
2025. Translators’ job satisfaction. Babel. Revue internationale de la traduction / International Journal of Translation / Revista Internacional de Traducción DOI logo
Hasan, Nasser N., Konstantinos V. Petrides, Laura Hull & Fawziyah Hadi
2023. Trait emotional intelligence profiles of professionals in Kuwait. Frontiers in Psychology 14 DOI logo
Hou, Yanwen & Yurong Ma
2023. 2023 10th International Conference on Behavioural and Social Computing (BESC), ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Tarazona Montero, María Fernanda & Fiorella Alejandra Bernal Restrepo
2023. Investigación de la felicidad laboral en los traductores: el caso de los traductores jurados e institucionales eslovacos. Ciencias Sociales y Educación 12:23 ► pp. 419 ff. DOI logo
Mahadin, Dana & Sameer Naser Olimat
2022. In their own words: how has Covid-19 affected Jordanian translators’ wellbeing?. The Translator 28:4 ► pp. 489 ff. DOI logo
Hubscher-Davidson, Séverine & Caroline Lehr
2021. The Importance of Emotional Intelligence Skills for Translators. In Improving the Emotional Intelligence of Translators, ► pp. 17 ff. DOI logo
Kaindl, Klaus
2021. (Literary) Translator Studies. In Literary Translator Studies [Benjamins Translation Library, 156], ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Naranjo, Beatriz & Ana María Rojo López
2021. In and out of tune. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 33:1 ► pp. 132 ff. DOI logo
Karpova, Yulia Alekseevna, Tatiana Valeryevna Moshchanskaya & Elena Yuryevna Moshchanskaya
2020. Development of interpreters’ emotional and empathic skills: An interdisciplinary approach. Science for Education Today 10:2 ► pp. 37 ff. DOI logo
Bednárová-Gibová, Klaudia & Branislav Madoš
2019. Investigating Translators’ Work-related Happiness: Slovak Sworn and Institutional Translators as a Case in Point. Meta 64:1 ► pp. 215 ff. DOI logo
Enríquez Raído, Vanessa
2018. Teacher motivation and emotions vis-à-vis students’ positive perceptions of effective teaching and learning. Translation, Cognition & Behavior 1:2 ► pp. 361 ff. DOI logo
Federici, Federico M. & Callum Walker
2018. A mapping exercise. In Eye tracking and multidisciplinary studies on translation [Benjamins Translation Library, 143], ► pp. 11 ff. DOI logo
Hubscher-Davidson, Séverine
2018. Do translation professionals need to tolerate ambiguity to be successful?. In Innovation and Expansion in Translation Process Research [American Translators Association Scholarly Monograph Series, XVIII], ► pp. 77 ff. DOI logo
Hubscher-Davidson, Séverine
2020. Translation and the double bind of imaginative resistance. Translation Studies 13:3 ► pp. 251 ff. DOI logo
Hubscher-Davidson, Séverine
2020. The Psychology of Sustainability and Psychological Capital: New Lenses to Examine Well-Being in the Translation Profession. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research 4:4 DOI logo
Naranjo Sánchez, Beatriz
2018. Moving music for moving source texts. Translation, Cognition & Behavior 1:2 ► pp. 319 ff. DOI logo
Naranjo Sánchez, Beatriz
2019. Immersed in the source text. Babel. Revue internationale de la traduction / International Journal of Translation 65:2 ► pp. 264 ff. DOI logo
Jakobsen, Arnt Lykke
2017. Translation Process Research. In The Handbook of Translation and Cognition, ► pp. 19 ff. DOI logo
Lee, Jieun
2017. Professional interpreters’ job satisfaction and relevant factors. Translation and Interpreting Studies 12:3 ► pp. 427 ff. DOI logo
Risku, Hanna, Regina Rogl & Jelena Milosevic
2017. Translation practice in the field. Translation Spaces 6:1 ► pp. 3 ff. DOI logo
Risku, Hanna, Regina Rogl & Jelena Milosevic
2019. Translation practice in the field. In Translation Practice in the Field [Benjamins Current Topics, 105], ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 4 december 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.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue