Cognitive load in translating ideological texts: An eye-tracking study of translators' pupil diameter

This study investigates the potential effect of translators’ ideology and cognitive abilities on their cognitive load during the translation process. An eye-tracking experiment was conducted to examine how translators’ cognitive load – measured by average pupil diameter – varied based on their ideological positioning, as reflected in their national identity, when instructed to translate texts according to the standards of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Eight participants were selected to complete ten translation tasks involving ideologically loaded texts. The experiment took place in the Cognitive Laboratory at the University of Tehran, Iran. Cognitive load was assessed through pupil diameter measurements. Following the translation tasks, participants completed a national identity questionnaire as an indicator of ideological alignment, as well as a cognitive ability test. The findings indicate that both ideology and cognitive ability significantly influenced average pupil diameter, suggesting that translators experienced higher cognitive load when their ideological stance aligned with the translation brief and when they possessed higher cognitive capacity.