Using Translog-II for Conducting Keylogging Experiments

Translation process research (TPR) relies on objective behavioral data to uncover the cognitive mechanisms underlying translation. This paper provides a comprehensive methodology for using Translog-II, a specialized tool for recording user activity data during translation tasks, integrated with the CRITT Translation Process Research Database (TPR-DB) for advanced post-processing. We outline the complete experimental workflow—from project configuration and data collection to word alignment, error annotation, and data visualization—demonstrated through an English-to-Chinese translation-from-scratch case study. A central contribution of the paper is a systematic analysis of the boundary mismatch between Input Method Editor (IME) conversion units and tokenized words in Chinese translation data. Using 62 from-scratch English-to-Chinese translation sessions from the RUC17 study, we identify three types of IME-tokenization relationships, quantify their frequency, and assess their impact on the reliability of alignment-group process measures. These findings, together with the documented workflow, establish a reproducible framework for keystroke-based translation process research that enhances the precision of data-driven insights into cognitive translation processes, particularly for languages that depend on IME-mediated input.