Title: Evaluating Pause Thresholds in Empirical Translation Process Research

Abstract: The act of producing text and translating involves alternating periods of typing with intervals of keystroke pauses. It is widely believed that rapid typing signals automated or unchallenged translation activities, whereas prolonged pauses suggest the presence of translation obstacles, hurdles, or difficulties. Drawing upon extensive scholarly debate regarding the definition of pause thresholds that distinguish between automated and reflective translation processes (O'Brien, 2006; Alves and Vale, 2009; Timarova et al., 2011; Dragsted and Carl, 2013; Lacruz et al., 2014; Kumpulainen, 2015; Heilmann and Neumann 2016), this study examines five distinct methodologies for calculating these thresholds. Furthermore, it proposes and assesses a new approach for determining Production Unit Breaks.

Source: arXiv Generated at: 2026-06-03 00:00:00 UTC