Eye-tracking as a Methodological Approach – Can it Serve Research Purposes in Translation Studies?

Megana Pesse, Kaunas University of Technology;      Abstract: Over the last few decades, there has been a noticeable increase in the use of eye-tracking in translation studies. This paper reviews representative studies, published since 2010, which utilised eye-tracking technology as the single or a complementary research method. While eye-tracking as a method has been employed for more than a decade in the translation studies field worldwide, research involving Lithuanian is scarce (e.g., Motiejūnienė and Kasperavičienė, 2019). The analysis demonstrates that eye-tracking can be successfully utilised to measure cognitive efforts of the readers’ mind. Combined with other research methods, eye-tracking may yield more comprehensive and reliable results. However, the research must be carried out with caution due to the methodological issues, such as the lack of objectivity in evaluating the cognitive factors of human behaviour, the need for triangulation, and subject sensitivity to experimental conditions. These issues may be overcome by setting up identical conditions of the experiment among all of the participants, setting up a non-invasive equipment, choosing similar participants for the research (based on demographic, physiological, psychological factors), and using mixed research methods.

Keywords: Eye-tracking, translation, cognitive effort.