Disentangling cognitive and emotional load in interpreting

---

Kumcu A., Duman D.

TARGET : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRANSLATION STUDIES, cilt.1, ss.1, 2026 (AHCI, SSCI, Scopus)

• Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
• Cilt numarası: 1
• Basım Tarihi: 2026
• Doi Numarası: 10.1075/target.25176.kum
• Dergi Adı: TARGET : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRANSLATION STUDIES
• Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: EBSCO Communication Source, Communication Source (EBSCO), Scopus, Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, DIALNET, MLA International Bibliography
• Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1
• Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
• Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study employs a multimodal approach to investigate how emotional and cognitive load differentially impact interpreter stress. Twenty student interpreters consecutively interpreted four Turkish-to-English mental healthcare narratives of varying emotionality and difficulty, constructed using a 2×2 factorial design. Stress responses were measured using galvanic skin response (GSR), voice parameters (pitch and voice intensity), and self-report scales (PANAS, STAI, and NASA-TLX). Stimuli were normed for emotional valence and linguistic complexity using readability indices, expert ratings, and natural language processing (NLP) tools. Results showed that primarily cognitive load drove GSR arousal, particularly during later interpreting stages, whereas emotional load was reflected in pitch and self-reported negative affect. A pitch convergence between speaker and interpreter also emerged. None of the stress indicators predicted interpreting accuracy, suggesting a possible role for individual coping strategies.