Business translation research from the West and China

Abstract Business translation research has grown in importance worldwide. In the West, we have witnessed significant advances in the teaching and research of the field, broadening our understanding of its key areas and academic trends. However, the landscape of research in business translation in the East remains largely unknown to us. This article addresses this gap in our knowledge and explores the landscape of business translation research in the East, comparing it with Western research production. First, we compiled two bibliographic corpora: one from BITRA for the Western case and another from CNKI and CAOD for the Chinese case. We then analyzed both corpora using a series of bibliometric indicators (production, collaboration, scattering, and content). The results show that research in both corpora aligns to some extent with classical bibliometric laws (exponential growth, publication scattering, and author distribution), but there are also differences in content: while Western research reveals a diversity of objects of study, Chinese research appears to align with national foreign trade strategies.