From Representation to Enactment: The ABC Framework of the Translating Mind
Michael Carl, Takanori Mizowaki, Aishvarya Raj, Masaru Yamada, Devi Sri Bandaru, Yuxiang Wei, Xinyue Ren
arXiv Preprint Archive November 20, 2025 via arXiv
Summary
Translation is not a matter of manipulating static correspondences between languages but an enacted activity that dynamically integrates affective, behavioral, and cognitive processes. Drawing on Extended Mind theory, radical enactivism, Predictive Processing, and Active Inference, the authors argue that the translator's mind emerges through loops of brain-body-environment interactions rather than being merely extended. This non-representational account reframes translation as skillful participation in sociocultural practice, where meaning is co-created in real time through embodied interaction with texts, tools, and contexts.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Cs.cl |
| Key finding | Translation is not representation-based but an enacted activity in which the translator's mind emerges through brain-body-environment interactions, co-creating meaning in real time. |
Abstract
Building on the Extended Mind (EM) theory and radical enactivism, this article suggests an alternative to representation-based models of the mind. We lay out a novel ABC framework of the translating mind, in which translation is not the manipulation of static interlingual correspondences but an enacted activity, dynamically integrating affective, behavioral, and cognitive (ABC) processes. Drawing on Predictive Processing and (En)Active Inference, we argue that the translator's mind emerges, rather than being merely extended, through loops of brain-body-environment interactions. This non-representational account reframes translation as skillful participation in sociocultural practice, where meaning is co-created in real time through embodied interaction with texts, tools, and contexts.