Graduates of translation programmes increasingly encounter machine translation in the language industry. In response to this identified market need, translation education programmes have begun to incorporate machine translation into the curriculum. In order for translation graduates to serve as professional post-editors in the language industry, this content must be embedded in multiple courses across the curriculum, rather than concentrating the material in a stand-alone course or module. This article argues for the incorporation of terminology management, controlled authoring, post-editing, and engine tuning into translation practice courses to prepare students for the evolving market.

Quantitative Research Methods in Translation and Interpreting Studies encompasses all stages of the research process that include quantitative research methods, from conceptualization to reporting. In five parts, the authors cover: • sampling techniques, measurement, and survey design; • how to describe data; • how to analyze differences; • how to analyze relationships; • how to interpret results. Each part includes references to additional resources and extensive examples from published empirical work. A quick reference table for specific tests is also included in the appendix. This user-friendly guide is the essential primer on quantitative methods for all students and researchers in translation and interpreting studies. Accompanying materials are available online, including step-by-step walkthroughs of how analysis was conducted, and extra sample data sets for instruction and self study: https://www.routledge.com/9781138124967. Further resources for Translation and Interpreting Studies are available on the Routledge Translation Studies Portal: http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/translationstudies.

As translation and interpreting studies continue to develop cognitive theories of translator and interpreter behavior and processing, there has been increased emphasis on research methods and data collection methodologies to glean new insights into the translation process. This article presents a critical review of survey research methods in Cognitive Translation Studies and argues for their inclusion as a means of better understanding translator and interpreter attitudes, behaviors, perceptions, and values. The article begins with a reflection on measurement and the need for alignment with theoretical frameworks and constructs; then it reviews important considerations when developing theoretically-grounded, empirically-based survey instruments, namely, validity, reliability, measurement invariance, and quantitative analysis. The article concludes with a call for additional methodological reflection on developing and using survey instruments.

This article adopts a meta-analytic research framework to examine the strength of the relationship between working memory and simultaneous interpreting. This quantitative analysis utilizes a random effects model to combine multiple studies in an examination of differences between professional interpreters and various comparison groups as well as the relationship between working memory capacity and interpreter performance. Moderating and control variables are discussed, and a classification scheme for work on these topics is proposed. Two moderating variables are examined by testing the difference between working memory tests relying on auditory and visual stimuli as well as storage tasks (short-term memory) and processing tasks (working memory). Published studies were collected from several field-specific databases by queryingworking memoryandsimultaneous interpretingas key terms, and then supplemented by reviewing references, searching Google Scholar, and reviewing the work of scholars known to work in the area. Results are indicative of differences between professional and comparison groups, with professional interpreters exhibiting greater working memory capacity. Additionally, an overall positive correlation was observed between working memory capacity and measures of the quality of simultaneous interpreting.

Renewed interest in research methods used in cognitive translation and interpreting studies (CTIS) has led to increased reflection on the nature of research and experimental design, internal and external validity, and the type and nature of experimental tasks. Of particular concern is the extent to which valid generalization can be made from empirical studies of translation, interpreting, and their associated cognitive behaviors as objects of study. This article traces the definition and history of ecological validity in the extant literature on research methods and philosophy of science, emphasizing three considerations: the experimental setting, the stimuli under investigation, and the behavioral response of participants. Subsequently, we discuss potential misunderstandings or misapplications of appeals to ecological validity, including mundane realism, naturalistic tasks, and various data collection methods. A final section describes key points to consider for research in CTIS. Throughout, the argument considers tradeoffs among various categories of validity as well as the importance of aligning experimental design with research goals. This extensive engagement with a singular aspect of validity is provided to encourage deeper reflection and better communication around the topic of ecological validity.

Cognitive translation processes incorporate metacognitive activity due to the association with problem-solving behaviour, including the ability to recognize problems, propose solutions, and evaluate the effectiveness of solutions. Previous research has emphasized these aspects of the translation process in general texts; however, specialized translation merits investigation for insights into metacognitive activity of translators given the particular challenges that accompany texts in specialized areas. Medical translation, for instance, presents a unique set of problems given the domain-specific nature of the translation task. This study presents a qualitative analysis of a corpus comprising two different translation tasks, each with an accompanying reflective self-assessment, in order to identify indicators of task awareness, problem recognition, and solution evaluation. The results suggest that metacognitive activity is present in both translation tasks, but the type of behaviour changes over the course of an eight-week period that includes training in medical translation. This change over time points to the potential for developing metacognitive abilities during translation coursework and identifies specific aspects for potential future investigation related to specialized translation pedagogy.