The scale-integration paradox: a contrastive bibliometric analysis of global and Chinese machine translation post-editing research

This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of machine translation post-editing research, mapping the divergent trajectories of international and Chinese scholarship. This study investigates the structural and thematic disparities between these two academic communities. Utilizing CiteSpace and VOSviewer, the research analyzes publication scale, collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, and temporal evolution. Findings reveal a scale-integration paradox: while the Chinese academic community has rapidly achieved parity in publication scale, it remains marginal in global collaboration. Thematic analysis shows differing academic orientations. International research, driven by a mature research and development environment, prioritizes technological innovation, methodological rigor, and standardized quality evaluation. In contrast, Chinese research, propelled by a national imperative for translator education, focuses on tool application, pedagogical case studies, and classroom-based error analysis. Based on these findings, the study identifies converging interests as pathways to a future synthesis. It argues that overcoming existing barriers requires strategic advancements in three areas: harmonizing methodologies through joint empirical studies, developing an evidence-based global pedagogy, and fostering collaborative technological development. This research provides a data-driven framework for understanding the global-local dynamics of a key field in the age of AI and offers actionable implications for fostering a more integrated, innovative and equitable knowledge landscape.