A cognitive scientific view on technical communication and translation: Do embodiment and situatedness really make a difference?

This article provides a brief presentation of the development of some cognitive scientific views on technical communication and translation. I look in detail at one of the latest cognitive scientific trends, namely Situated and Embodied Cognition. According to this approach, humans are creative beings who are dependent on their physical and psychological circumstances. I provide a brief overview of the background to situated, embodied cognition, present some of its main concepts and conclude with a number of proposals about how findings in this field can be used to further develop research in Technical Communication and Translation Studies. In doing so, I argue that the new findings in cognitive science will necessarily change some of the common concepts and methodological traditions with regard to the actual text production process and competencies.