Conference Paper Published

Abstract

This paper examines how flow experience, as a task-related psychological state, relates to effort investment, attention allocation, monitoring behavior, and physiological regulation during Chinese–English translation. It synthesizes evidence from three studies within the same research project: a task-based self-report study and two laboratory analyses of the same experimental dataset, focusing respectively on gaze behavior and physiological responses. The self-report findings showed that flow was primarily marked by challenge–skill balance, a sense of control, and reduced self-consciousness. The laboratory findings further indicated that, under positive affective priming, higher flow was associated with smoother ST–TT coordination, lower cognitive effort, and a more regulated physiological profile. However, regression counts did not indicate a simple reduction in monitoring behavior. Taken together, the findings characterize flow in translation as a form of regulated engagement, in which effort and attention are more efficiently organized while the control demands of translation remain present. This account extends the study of flow beyond self-reported experience by incorporating process-level evidence and provides a basis for considering translators’ cognitive engagement and sustainable working modes in current technologymediated translation contexts.