Bilingual language representation and cognitive processes in translation

A text-translation task and a recognition task investigated the hypothesis that semantic memory principally mediates translation from a bilingual's native first language (L1) to her second language (L2), whereas lexical memory mediates translation from L2 to L1. This has been held for word translation by the revised hierarchical model (RHM) of Kroll and Stewart. The results from Greek, English, and French fluent bilinguals showed semantic errors in L1-L2 direction and lexical errors in L2-L1 direction in the translation task as RHM would predict, but not semantic effects in L1-L2 direction in the word recognition task. These findings suggest a flexible use of conceptual and lexical connections that fluent bilinguals engage, depending upon the cognitive processes required by the task at hand.