Translation psychology within the framework of translator studies: new research perspectives

Abstract

Psychology is a multifaceted discipline that studies the human mind and its mental processes in relation to behaviour. It has boundless applications in everyday life, from preventing academic failure to ensuring the success of advertising campaigns; from solving conflicts within organisations to health promotion, to name but a few (Spielberger 2010). But the term ‘psychology’ also refers to the particular mental and behavioural characteristics of a given individual or group, as well as to the study of the mind and behaviour in relation to a particular field of knowledge or activity. It is in this sense that Translation Psychology is better understood. The main purpose of this article is to contextualise Translation Psychology as a branch of Translatology, and to define it within the framework of Translator Studies. The secondary objective is to present an outline of the structure of this developing field, and to describe its main research areas and perspectives. After introducing a historical overview of the key contributions to Translation Psychology, this interdisciplinary field is defined and its main areas of study are characterised. Finally, the possible implications of Translation Psychology research for translator training are discussed.