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The role of semantics in translation recognition: effects of number of translations, dominance of translations and semantic relatedness of multiple translations*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2009

JANNIKA LAXÉN  and
JEAN-MARC LAVAUR
JANNIKA LAXÉN*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Montpellier (3), France
JEAN-MARC LAVAUR*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Montpellier (3), France
*
Address for correspondence: Departement de psychology, University of Montpellier 3, Route de Mende, 34199 Montpellier Cedex 5, Francejannika.laxen@univ-montp3.fr or jean-marc.lavaur@univ-montp3.fr
Address for correspondence: Departement de psychology, University of Montpellier 3, Route de Mende, 34199 Montpellier Cedex 5, Francejannika.laxen@univ-montp3.fr or jean-marc.lavaur@univ-montp3.fr
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Abstract

This study aims to examine the influence of multiple translations of a word on bilingual processing in three translation recognition experiments during which French–English bilinguals had to decide whether two words were translations of each other or not. In the first experiment, words with only one translation were recognized as translations faster than words with multiple translations. Furthermore, when words were presented with their dominant translation, the recognition process was faster than when words were presented with their non-dominant translation. In Experiment 2, these effects were replicated in both directions of translation (L1–L2 and L2–L1). In Experiment 3, we manipulated number-of-translations and the semantic relatedness between the different translations of a word. When the two translations of a word (i.e., bateau) were related in meaning (synonyms such as the English translations boat and ship), the translation recognition process was faster than when the two translations of a word (i.e., argent) were unrelated in meaning (the two translations money and silver). The consequences of translation ambiguities are discussed in the light of the distributed conceptual feature model of bilingual memory (De Groot, 1992b; Van Hell and De Groot, 1998b).

Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , April 2010 , pp. 157 - 183
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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Footnotes

*

We would like to thank Natasha Tokowicz and an anonymous reviewer for constructive remarks and suggested improvements on earlier versions of this paper. We also thank Adriana Serban, Dominique Bairstow and Xavier Aparicio for corrections.

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