The emotional impact of translation: A heart rate study

• We provide an empirical report on the emotional impact of translation.
• Metaphorical vs. non-metaphorical translations of English figurative expressions are compared.
• Heart rate is measured as a physiological indicator of emotions.
• Response to four basic emotions (happiness, sadness, rage and fear) is explored.
• Paraphrasing a metaphor in translation results in the audience's diminished emotional response.

The present work explores the question of whether the adoption of a certain translation strategy can alter the effect that a translated text may cause on a given audience. With this aim, an experimental study was designed to measure whether the loss of metaphoricity in the translation of figurative expressions may actually result in the audience's diminished emotional response to the translation as compared with the one prompted by the metaphorical image. The heart rate of a group of Spanish participants was measured to assess the emotional impact of a series of metaphorical vs. non-metaphorical translations of English figurative expressions based on four basic emotions: happiness, sadness, rage and fear. Results report significant differences between metaphorical and non-metaphorical translations for the four emotions analysed, pointing to a difference in their emotional impact on the recipients of the translation.