Cognitive Reception in Audiovisual Translation Studies: A Review

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

سیده محبوبه مقدس ¹

Masood Khoshsaligheh ¹

Majid Ghoshuni ²

¹ English Department, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

² Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

10.22067/rltf.2025.94379.1148

Abstract

Research on the cognitive reception of audiovisual products—particularly in the context of dubbing and subtitling as two most prevalently used audiovisual translation modes—is rapidly expanding. As global media consumption increases, understanding how audiences process translated audiovisual content has become increasingly important. This review article provides a comprehensive examination of experimental studies on audiovisual translation conducted up to the year 2025. To ensure thorough coverage of the field, three major academic citation databases were explored, yielding a total of 163 relevant articles. After applying selection criteria, 101 articles were chosen for in-depth analysis. These articles were systematically categorized into eight thematic groups: 1) Studies identifying the cognitive reception features specific to audiovisual products; 2) Research analyzing the impact of translation strategies and linguistic nuances; 3) Studies investigating subtitle in terms of the technical features such as speed and positioning; 4) Comparative studies on the reception of dubbing versus subtitling; 5) Articles focusing on viewer immersion, emotional reaction, and overall enjoyment; 6) Research exploring the influence of audience characteristics such as age and language proficiency on reception; 7) Studies addressing audiovisual translation accessibility for individuals with disabilities, including subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing and audio description; 8) Investigations into the educational applications of audiovisual translation. This review highlights key findings and suggests avenues for future research aimed at deepening our understanding of cognitive reception in audiovisual translation contexts.

Keywords

audiovisual translation studies

cognitive reception

dubbing

subtitling

eye tracker

electroencephalography

Subjects

• french translation

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