Theoretical insights and empirical findings on metacognition in translation: a review and conceptual framework

Translation requires continual self-regulation to produce satisfactory target texts. This review synthesises theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence on metacognition in translation, with a particular focus on planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes. An overview of measurement approaches highlights how constructs have been associated to observable behaviours while noting current limits. The review then traces how planning, monitoring, and evaluation appear across the translation workflow and where important gaps remain, particularly in technology-mediated settings involving GenAI. To address these issues, the Translation-Specific Metacognitive Strategies Framework (TSMSF) is proposed to organise planning, monitoring, and evaluation across pre-, in-, and post-translation phases. The TSMSF is set out as a conceptual framework to inform future metacognitive translation research, translator training, and professional practice. This review concludes with priorities for empirical testing of the TSMSF and for examining how emerging technologies shape metacognitive regulation in translation practices.