The Mistake Magnification Effect in Translation: A Cognitive Analysis of Error Perception and Processing

Abstract

This study analyzes the Mistake Magnification Effect (MME) on translators’ behavior-a cognitive bias in which translators over-amplify their perception on the severity of errors, particularly those that are produced by automatic translation systems. To do so, we conducted an experiment with 20 professional translators and translation students that investigated how translation errors are perceived, processed, and revised; amplified changes between text editing. Based on eye-tracking, think-aloud protocols, and error analysis models, we demonstrated that translators view minor, predictive MT errors as more severe than human errors, which has implications for translation quality assessment and training. The study contributes to TQA by offering empirical evidence on cognitive biases in perception of errors and recommends practical suggestions to improve translation pedagogy and machine translation (MT) post-editing workflows.