Prototyping a new keylogging tool for Translation Process Research

ESTRELLA, PAULA; LAFUENTE, ROXANA; GARCÍA, ADOLFO M.

Mendoza

Congreso; I Congreso Internacional de Traducción, Interpretación y Cognición: Nuevos paradigmas, nuevos horizontes; 2017

Universidad del Aconcagua

A popular and useful method to infer cognitive processes during translation consists in the use of keyloggers. These computer programs monitor keyboard activity in real time during translation and other forms of text processing, yielding data indicative on problem-solving strategies, task difficulty, phase-specific resource allocation, etc. The most widely used keyloggers, InputLog (Leijten, 2005) and Translog (Carl, 2012), provide several functionalities to collect and analyze data and they can also integrate eye tracking. However, they can only be installed on a Windows platform, which precludes their utilization in laboratories using Linux. This motivated the development of ResearchLogger (Lafuente, 2015), an adaptation of an existing keylogger into a portable open-source software which logs detailed data or events occurring in every open window. Moreover, ResearchLogger offers other functionalities, such as logging press and release times with high precision and taking screenshots at specified time intervals, allowing the study of translation in a wider range of environments, thus opening new research challenges, primarily at the methodological level, for example how do we design robust experiments in open environments? how do we analyse such a myriad of data?, among others. Although it is still under development, it has already proven useful for both controlled sessions and uncontrolled sessions. The former have a rigorous experimental design and the latter involve logging students? activity during exams or class. In this presentation, we will introduce ResearchLogger illustrate its application in pilot studies, and discuss the potential contributions it could bring to translation process research at large.