Abstract

In recent decades, studies on the cognitive processes involved in translation have gained increasing relevance (Alves & Jakobsen, 2021). One of the key processes in this field is attentional focus, understood as the translator’s ability to select and prioritize relevant information while translating. Despite its importance, this phenomenon has been scarcely explored, particularly in relation to translation students’ curricular progression and the translation of specialised genres. This study analyses attentional focus in two student groups—third- and fourth-year students—enrolled in the English-Spanish Translation programme at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. A keylogging tool was used to register pauses made during a specialised translation task, which are interpreted as indicators of cognitive resource allocation (Saldanha & O’Brien, 2013). Results show different pause patterns between the groups; however, statistical analysis revealed that these differences were not significant. These findings raise new questions about the relationship between translator competence and attentional patterns in specialised translation tasks. © 2025 UCOPress. Editorial Universidad de Cordoba. All rights reserved.