This M.A. proposal investigates the relationship between translators' tolerance for ambiguity and their hesitation behaviors during the translation process. The study addresses a gap in Process-Oriented Translation Studies, where hesitation indicators (keystroke patterns like pauses, deletions, and revisions) have been identified as markers of cognitive conflict, yet the role of individual psychological differences, specifically ambiguity tolerance, remains unexplored.



The research employs a mixed-methods, correlational design with six BA-level translation students. Participants complete the Multidimensional Attitude Toward Ambiguity Scale (MAAS; Lauriola et al., 2016), then translate a 300-word Persian text into English while Translog 2 records keystrokes, an eye-tracker captures gaze patterns, and screen recording documents external search behaviors. Data are analyzed using Martín de León and Cardona Guerra's (2022) hesitation indicators and Frenkel-Brunswik's (1949) nine behavioral dispositions of ambiguity intolerance.



The study aims to answer: What is the correlation between translators' ambiguity tolerance and the frequency of hesitation indicators in their translation process? By triangulating three data streams and correlating them with psychometric scores, this research moves beyond speculative models of translator cognition toward evidence-based understanding of how psychological traits shape real-time translation behavior. Findings may inform translator training by identifying hesitation patterns associated with lower ambiguity tolerance.