Have you ever imagined your brain as a simultaneous translator, working tirelessly to decode and recode languages?
With every word translated, thousands of neurons communicate with each other, travelling through a labyrinth of neural connections to find the exact words and the precise meaning, processing meanings, evoking emotions and building bridges between cultures. But how does our brain accomplish this feat? The neuroscience of translation offers us a fascinating insight into the brain mechanisms that underpin this fundamental skill of human communication, revealing how our brains process languages, generate creative ideas and connect us with other cultures.
Since Translation Studies established itself as an academic discipline in the 70’s, translators and researchers have made extensive use of tools, concepts and theories from diverse fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology and biology to explore the multiple facets of translation and interpreting.
Today, neuroscience, which studies the nervous system, has gained prominence in this field. Its mission is to understand how brain processes influence our perception, action, learning and memory, and how these processes explain human behaviour.
In the field of translation, neuroscience has brought new discoveries. Traditionally, it was believed that understanding a second language depended less on multimodal cues and involved less sensorimotor development compared to the mother tongue. However, recent studies have revealed that when using a second language, there is more intense synchronisation between the frontal, central, temporal and parietal regions of the interlocutors’ brains, compared to when using the native language.
This synchronisation, observed especially during language change, activates the anterior cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Blanco-Elorrieta et al., 2018). In multilingual contexts, this activation is crucial, as it involves not only linguistic mechanisms, but also empathetic and social processes, which are essential for effective communication, comprehension and translation.
As such, the neuroscience of translation is a complex process involving various cognitive functions and neural networks. Here are some of the main neuroscientific processes involved:
1. Linguistic Processing in Translation Neuroscience
Broca's and Wernicke's areas:
- Broca’s area: Located in the frontal lobe, it is crucial for language production. It helps with the formation of grammatically correct sentences and verbal articulation.
- Wernicke’s area: Located in the temporal lobe, it is essential for understanding language. It allows us to understand the meaning of words and sentences.
2. Working Memory
Executive Function:
- Working memory is responsible for maintaining and manipulating temporary information. During translation, the translator needs to retain phrases, terms and concepts while working on the conversion into the target language.
- The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role in maintaining and manipulating this information.
3. Long-Term Memory
Access to Linguistic and Cultural Knowledge:
- Long-term memory stores linguistic and cultural knowledge that is essential for translation. This includes vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and knowledge about cultural contexts.
- The areas involved include the hippocampus (for forming new memories) and the temporal cortex (for retrieving memories).
4. Attention and Focus
Attentional Systems:
- Translation requires significant concentration. Attentional systems help translators focus on specific details of the text and ignore irrelevant distractions.
- The prefrontal cortex and parietal areas are important for regulating attention.
5. Creativity
Generating Innovative Solutions in the Neuroscience of Translation:
- Translation often requires creativity to find appropriate cultural and linguistic equivalents. This involves neural networks associated with creativity, such as the medial prefrontal cortex.
- The default mode network is also involved in creative and reflective processes.
6. Empathy and Social Cognition
Understanding Emotions and Intentions:
- In order to translate effectively, especially in literary or emotive texts, translators need to understand the emotions and intentions of the original author. This involves activating neural networks associated with empathy, such as the anterior cingulate cortex and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
- Theory of mind, which is the ability to understand the intentions and beliefs of others, also plays an essential role.
7. Feedback and Correction Processes
- Translation is an iterative process that includes revision and correction. The neural networks involved in error monitoring and correction include the anterior cingulate cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
- The ability to self-evaluate and adjust is essential to ensure translation accuracy and fluency.
The Importance of Neuroscience for Translation
Neuroscience in translation offers several benefits for both translators and users of translation services:
- Improved translation quality: By understanding the brain processes involved in translation, we can identify areas where translators may make frequent mistakes and develop strategies to overcome them. For example, by understanding how the brain processes ambiguity, we can create tools to help translators identify and resolve interpretation problems.
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Training more qualified translators: Neuroscience can be used to develop personalised training programmes that take into account the different skills and learning styles of each translator.
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New areas of research: The neuroscience of translation opens up new research possibilities, such as the study of real-time translation, the translation of minority languages and translation for people with disabilities.
Conclusion
Translation involves a complex system of neuroscientific processes that combine language processing, memory, attention, creativity, empathy and revision. Understanding these processes can help improve translation practices and training programmes for translators, leading to more accurate and culturally appropriate translations. The neuroscience of translation is an interesting area that should be further explored.
Want to find out more about how Dokutech Translations uses advances in neuroscience to offer high-quality translation services? Visit our website and get in touch.
Tatiana Almeida
Quality Manager | Translator | Proofreader
