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Volume 7, Issue 1
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Abstract

Abstract

Moral cognition is an emerging field investigating the cognitive underpinnings of moral judgement and moral decision-making. Of particular interest for Cognitive Translation and Interpreting Studies (CTIS) is the impact of the use of a foreign language on the cognitive processes associated with moral decision making, what has been labeled “Foreign Language Effect” (FLE). Using a second language has been reported to reduce decision-making biases, doing away with framing effects in risk aversion settings. At the same time, moral dilemmas posed in a second language prompt more utilitarian responses than when presented in the subjects’ native tongues. These results beg the following question for the CTIS scholar: does language mediation training mitigate the FLE? This paper reports on an exploratory study investigating the impact of language mediation training on the FLE. Drawing from Costa et al. (2014), 1st and 4th year, bilingual students in a Translation and Interpreting degree are presented with the trolley dilemma both in their L1, L2, and L3. Initial results seem to indicate that language mediation training might have an impact on the FLE. However, the limitations of the study suggest the need for further exploration of the intersection between language mediation training and the FLE.

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2024-10-10
2026-03-10

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Language mediation training and the foreign‑language effect in moral decision‑making*
Translation, Cognition & Behavior 7, 140 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1075/tcb.00093.gar
/content/journals/10.1075/tcb.00093.gar
/content/journals/10.1075/tcb.00093.gar
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): ethics; Foreign Language Effect; language mediation; moral cognition; moral reasoning

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