Cognition and reception

This chapter focuses primarily on the production and reception of the written word in translation and subtitling because the methodologies the authors investigate are biased toward the written word. It first considers some theoretical models of translation reception, focusing in particular on models derived from cognitive narratology and psychological immersion studies, usability studies, and cognitive load theory, and their application in areas of written and audiovisual translation. Models of translation reception that are aimed at empirically investigating the effects of translation on readers in order to determine measures for quality or acceptability are an important empirical operationalization of functionalist theories' emphasis on target-culture orientation and acceptability. Against the background of some theoretical accounts of translation reception that have been proposed, the chapter turns its attention to empirical research on the cognitive dimension of translation reception.