Welcome to our Tra&Co Neurolab!
Our laboratory is equipped with eyetracking and EEG devices.
Eyetracking (ET)
Eyetracking devices allow the recording of eye movements in various scenarios. The recorded gaze data combined in data triangulation from other methods such as questionnaires or interviews allow researchers to quantify, support, or refute results and theories from qualitative translation research. By gaining insights into the cognitive translation processes, translation tasks can be evaluated and optimized. Results from these studies can lead to new teaching and learning strategies in translation didactics and can contribute to the design of novel translation technologies.
For our studies we use the following eyetrackers:
• Tobii TX 300
• Eyelink 1000 Plus
• SMI RED 250 Mobile 1x (1x ASTT)
• SMI ETG Glasses (ASTT)
The Tobii TX 300 is a screen-based eyetracking device that can capture gaze data at up to 300 Hz. It can be used with the supplied monitor or as a standalone eyetracker e.g. for recording the eye movements of interpreters. Data is recorded and analyzed in the Tobii Studio software or with Translog-II.
SR Research's Eyelink 1000 Plus is the most precise and most accurate of our eye trackers. It is video-based and records at a sampling rate of up to 2000 Hz. Due to the different mounting options (Desktop Mount, LCD Arm Mount, Tower Mount, Primate and Long Range Mount) it is also very flexible.
The SMI RED 250 Mobile is a mobile eyetracking device that can be used with 60, 120 or 250 Hz. The RED mobile can be clipped onto a laptop or an external desktop monitor. Data is recorded with the SMI iView RED and ExperimentCenter software and analyzed with SMI BeGaze. Just like the eyetracker from Tobii, SMI eyetracker are also compatible with Translog-II.
Compared to screen-based eyetrackers, the SMI ETG glasses allow to record eye movements in the real world. They record the participants' eye movement in the respective surroundings, while the participant can walk around freely. During the recording session, the data are transmitted to a smartphone which the participant can easly carry around. Later, these data can be analyzed in the SMI BeGaze analysis software on a Laptop or PC.
Gaze plot of a participant reading a text in easy-to-read German. The circles' sizes indicate the fixation duration, the lines between the fixations are called saccades.
Electroencephalography (EEG)
With the help of electroencephalography we are able to measure electrical activity of the brain. EEG measures voltage fluctuations in the brain resulting from neural activity. We are especially interested in brain responses during translation, speech production, speech processing, language control and the translation process as a whole. EEG experiments focus either on neural oscillations (brain waves) and their frequency spectrum, or event related potentials (ERPs). ERPs are time locked to a particular event and show us the brain’s reaction to stimuli like words, pictures or sounds.
We use the Compumedics Neuroscan SynAmps RT system to record our subjects' responses. EEG has an excellent temporal sensitivity and is especially useful for evaluating translators’ reactions to presented stimuli, as they happen very fast and often unnoticed.
To measure the voltage fluctuations, electrodes are placed on the scalp with the help of an elastic cap (Compumedics Quik-Cap EEG Electrode Application System) with 64 electrodes. A conductive gel is applied into each electrode to minimize the impedance between the electrodes and the skin.
