Finding a way into an interpreter’s heart: methodological considerations on heart-rate variability building on an exploratory study

Physiological indicators of stress such as galvanic skin response, cortisol, and heart rate are gathering momentum in Cognitive Translation and Interpreting Studies. Heart-rate variability (HRV) is gaining ground as a possibly reliable indicator of stress for tasks that do not involve physical activity. However, using electrocardiography and photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors in research involves following methodological guidelines to prevent negative impacts on data. We performed an observational, exploratory study on HRV in onsite vs. remote interpreting with interpreters (n = 5) with no experience in remote interpreting. Data was collected with Empatica E4 wristbands, which use PPG sensors to measure heart rate variability. We report results, yet our focus is the methodological issues derived from using heart rate (HR) and HRV as indicators of stress that we encountered both at data collection and in the analysis. We will formulate methodological recommendations regarding HR, HRV and (1) the characteristics and size of the sample; (2) the structuring of data collection sessions; (3) the selection of stimuli; (4) its relationship with other variables; (5) the selection of heart-related indicators; and (6) statistical analysis.