Empathic response of Slovene readers to poetry in Slovene and English

Žunkovič, Igor (author), Šemrov, Ana (author), Klepej, Ajda (author), Kukovec, Ana (author), Lončar, Luka (author), Sette, Marko (author), Trček, Neža (author)

Drawing on literary theory, translation studies, and social identity theory, the research investigates whether reading Louise Glück’s poem “Adult Grief ” in English versus Slovenian elicits different affective reactions. Using a repeated-measures design and a specially developed empathy scale, the study differentiates between compassionate and distressed responses of narrative empathy and examines how they relate to the four dimensions of trait empathy as assessed by the interpersonal reactivity index. The findings indicate that empathic concern and fantasy are key predictors of empathic engagement, with fantasy enhancing perspective takingand personal distress. Notably, language significantly influences empathic responses, especially when interacting with personal distress, suggesting that reading in one’s native language reduces the self-other differentiation and intensifies emotional experience. However, language exposure also moderates responses, indicating that habitual engagement in a language can enhance emotional resonance regardless of native status. These results underline the complex interplay between language, empathy, and literary affect

• Language: English
• Keywords: empathy, poetry, translation studies, mother tongue, foreign language, self-other differentiation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 145-165
• Numbering: Vol. 22, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180075
• UDC: 028:821.111(73)-1Glück L.=163.6
• ISSN on article: 1581-8918
• DOI: 10.4312/elope.22.2.145-165
• COBISS.SI-ID: 265762563
• Publication date in RUL: 02.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: ELOPE : English language overseas perspectives and enquiries
• Shortened title: ELOPE
• Publisher: Slovensko društvo za angleške študije, Slovensko društvo za angleške študije, Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 1581-8918
• COBISS.SI-ID: 212890112

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Slovenski bralci in njihovo empatično odzivanje na poezijo v slovenščini in angleščini

Abstract

Na podlagi literarne teorije, prevodoslovja in teorije socialne identitete preučujemo, ali branje pesmi Louise Glück »Adult Grief« v izvirniku v primerjavi s slovenskim prevodom sproža drugačne afektivne odzive. Z uporabo ponovljenega merjenja in lestvice za merjenje empatije razlikujemo med sočutnimi in s stisko zaznamovanimi oblikami narativne empatije ter preučujemo njihovo povezanost s štirimi dimenzijami osebnostne empatije, kot jih definira IRI (ang. interprersonal reactivity index). Rezultati kažejo, da sta empatična skrb in domišljijsko vživljanje ključna napovednika empatične vključenosti; pri tem domišljijsko vživljanje krepi zmožnost prevzemanja perspektive in osebne prizadetosti. Jezik statistično značilno vpliva na empatične odzive, zlasti v interakciji z osebno prizadetostjo, kar nakazuje, da branje v maternem jeziku pri bralcu zmanjšuje razlikovanje med lastnim odzivom in odzivom lirskega subjekta ter intenzivira čustveno izkušnjo. Na odzive vpliva tudi izpostavljenost jeziku, kar pomeni, da lahko ukvarjanje z jezikom okrepi čustveno resonanco. Izsledki poudarjajo zapleteno prepletenost jezika, empatije in literarnega afekta.

• Keywords: empatija, poezija, prevodoslovje, materni jezik, tuji jezik, razlikovanje jaz–drugi