To the Zoominar

Abstract

Eye tracking has solidified its position as a standard resource in the toolbox of audiovisual translation researchers.  This method is particularly effective for studying the reading of subtitles as it provides reliable, granular data on the reading process, enabling a deeper comprehension of reader behaviour and engagement with on-screen text. However, while its advantages are evident, the intricacies associated with research design, data collection, and especially the analysis and interpretation of results, can be overshadowed.

This seminar aims to critically engage with existing eye-tracking practices, encouraging a review of challenges and developments, and suggesting collective solutions that could lead to the development of robust mixed-methods approaches. Through a comprehensive review, the seminar will discuss traditional eye-tracking measurements, highlighting their significance in cognitive audiovisual translation and their applicability to subtitle reading studies. In particular, the seminar will zoom into triangulation and the need to combine qualitative and quantitative methods to provide strong evidence of the phenomena under study.

Finally, the seminar will outline some proposals towards adopting Open Science practices to support the development of eye-tracking research in cognitive audiovisual translation.

As eye-tracking research continues to proliferate, this seminar underscores the necessity to assess, review and refine our approaches, ensuring that the use of eye-tracking methods is always underpinned by sound theoretical and methodological frameworks and provides valuable insights into the societal phenomenon under study.

David Orrego-Carmona

About the Higher seminar in Translation Studies