Using think-aloud, screen recording, and questionnaire data to gauge translation student application and perception of ChatGPT

Abstract Generative AI, like other technological milestones in the language industry preceding it, such as translation memories and neural machine translation, has the potential to substantially change the ways in which translators work and how they are trained. Recent publications (Penet et al. forthcoming; Pym/Hao 2025) have suggested concrete approaches to utilizing ChatGPT in translator training contexts, yet empirical research on how it is actually used remains scant. This article presents the results of a small-scale exploratory study that gauges how MA students of translation (English-German) utilize ChatGPT in conjunction with other translation tools and resources. Triangulated think-aloud, screen recording and questionnaire data shed light on such phenomena as prompting behavior, the phases and textual levels of ChatGPT application, attitudes regarding its efficacy and usability and its impact on cognitive processing. Findings suggest ChatGPT, while not having a detrimental impact on cognitive processing as such, remains somewhat misunderstood and underutilized as an assistive technology distinct from machine translation, despite the important role this technology will inevitably play in shaping AI literacy in the language industry (Krüger 2023).