In:Translation Studies between Disciplines and Practices
Edited by Luc van Doorslaer and Yves Gambier
[Benjamins Translation Library 174] 2026
► pp. 248–265
Chapter 13International business and translation studies
More interactive than you think
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This chapter is the result of a co-writing
process during which the three authors, two from international
business and one from translation studies have engaged in
cross-disciplinary dialogue to identify past and potential future
interactions between the two disciplines they represent. Through a
review of key contributions and an indicative citation analysis, the
chapter highlights the joint work that already exists, identifies
the core contributors and provides an analysis of the awareness of
translation studies in international business research and vice
versa. On this basis, the authors suggest some avenues that future
international business-cum-translation studies research can follow
to increase its visibility across the disciplinary boundaries and
discuss current common interests in the two fields with a view to
forging these into a joint research agenda.
Article outline
- 1.Prologue
- 2.Introduction
- 2.Translation and TS in IB research
- 3.TS in IB: Actors, connections and disciplinary borders
- 4.Looking ahead
- Author queries
References
References (46)
Backmann, Julia, Rouven Kanitz, Amy Wei Tian, Patrick Hoffmann, and Martin Hoegl. 2020. “Cultural
gap bridging in multinational
teams.” Journal of
International Business
Studies 51: 1283–1311.
Barner-Rasmussen, Wilhelm, and Ingmar Björkman. 2005. “Surmounting
interunit barriers: Factors associated with interunit
communication intensity in the multinational
corporation.” International
Studies of Management &
Organization 35 (1): 28–46.
Barner-Rasmussen, Wilhelm, Mats Ehrnrooth, Alexei Koveshnikov, and Kristiina Mäkelä. 2014. “Cultural
and language skills as resources for boundary spanning
within the MNC.” Journal of
International Business
Studies 45: 886–905.
Blenkinsopp, John, and Maryam Shademan Pajouh. 2010. “Lost
in translation? Culture, language, and the role of the
translator in international
business.” Critical
Perspectives on International
Business, 6 (1): 38–52.
Boxenbaum, Eva, and Jesper Strandgaard Pedersen. 2009. “Scandinavian
institutionalism: A case of institutional
work.” In Institutional
work: Actors and agency in institutional studies of
organizations, edited
by Thomas B. Lawrence, Roy Suddaby, and Bernard Leca. Cambridge University Press.
Brannen, Mary Yoko, Rebecca Piekkari, and Susanne Tietze. 2014. “The
multifaceted role of language in international business:
Unpacking the forms, functions, and features of a critical
challenge to MNC theory and
performance.” Journal of
International Business
Studies 45 (5): 495–507.
Cantwell, John, and Mary Yoko Brannen. 2011. “Positioning
JIBS as an interdisciplinary
journal.” Journal of
International Business
Studies 42 (1): 1–9.
Chesterman, Andrew. 2009. “The
name and nature of translator
studies.” HERMES — Journal of
Language and Communication in
Business 42: 13–22.
Chidlow, Agnieszka, Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki, and Catherine Welch. 2014. “Translation
in cross-language international business research: Beyond
equivalence.” Journal of
International Business
Studies 45 (5): 562–582.
Dam, Helle V. 2024. “Translator.” In ENTI
— Encyclopedia of translation and
interpreting, edited
by Javier Franco Aixelá, and Ricardo Muñoz Martín. [URL]
Gambier, Yves, and Luc van Doorslaer. 2016a. “Disciplinary
dialogues with translation studies. The background
chapter.” In Border
crossings: Translation studies and other
disciplines, edited
by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer. John Benjamins.
Gambier, Yves, and Luc van Doorslaer, eds. 2016b. Border
crossings: Translation studies and other
disciplines. John Benjamins.
Gutierrez-Huerter O, Gabriella, Jeremy Moon, Stefan Gold, and Wendy Chapple. 2020. “Micro-processes
of translation in the transfer of practices from MNE
headquarters to foreign subsidiaries: The role of subsidiary
translators.” Journal of
International Business
Studies 51: 389–413.
Holden, Nigel J., and Snejina Michailova. 2014. “A
more expansive perspective on translation in IB research:
Insights from the Russian handbook of knowledge
management.” Journal of
International Business
Studies 45 (7): 906–918.
Holmes, James S. 1988. “The
name and nature of translation
studies.” In Translated!
Papers on literary translation and translation
studies, edited
by James S. Holmes. Rodopi.
Janssens, Maddy, José Lambert, and Chris Steyaert. 2004. “Developing
language strategies for international companies: The
contribution of translation
studies.” Journal of World
Business 39 (4): 414–430.
Janssens, Maddy, and Chris Steyaert. 2014. “Re-considering
language within a cosmopolitan understanding: Toward a
multilingual franca approach in international business
studies.” Journal of
International Business
Studies 45 (5): 623–639.
Karhunen, Päivi, Anne Kankaanranta, Leena Louhiala-Salminen, and Rebecca Piekkari. 2018. “Let’s
talk about language: A review of language-sensitive research
in international
management.” Journal of
Management
Studies 55 (6): 981–1013.
Koskinen, Kaisa. 2008. Translating
institutions. An ethnographic study of EU
translation. St. Jerome.
. 2011. “Institutional
translation.” In Handbook
of translation studies,
vol. 2, edited
by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer. John Benjamins.
Lambert, José. 2012. “Interdisciplinarity
in translation
studies.” In Handbook
of translation studies,
vol. 3, edited
by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer, 81–88. John Benjamins.
Marschan, Rebecca, Denice Welch, and Lawrence Welch. 1997. “Language:
The forgotten factor in multinational
management.” European
Management
Journal 15 (5): 591–598.
Marschan-Piekkari, Rebecca, Denice Welch, and Lawrence Welch. 1999a. “Adopting
a common corporate language: IHRM
implications.” International
Journal of Human Resource
Management 10 (3): 377–390.
. 1999b. “In
the shadow: The impact of language on structure, power and
communication in the
multinational.” International
Business
Review 8: 421–440.
Meylaerts, Reine. 2010. “Multilingualism
and
translation.” In Handbook
of translation studies,
vol. 1, edited
by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer. John Benjamins.
Meylaerts, Reine, and Theo du Plessis. 2016. “Multilingualism
studies and translation studies: Still a long road
ahead.” In Border
crossings: Translation studies and other
disciplines, edited
by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer. John Benjamins.
Mossop, Brian. 1988. “Translating
institutions: a missing factor in translation
theory.” TTR 1 (2): 65–71.
Nord, Christiane. 1997. Translating
as a purposeful activity: Functionalist approaches
explained. St. Jerome Publishing.
Piekkari, Rebecca, Susanne Tietze and Kaisa Koskinen. 2020. “Metaphorical
and interlingual translation in moving organisational
practices across
languages.” Organization
Studies 41 (9): 1311–1332.
Piekkari, Rebecca, and Susanne Tietze. 2021. “International
business and
translation.” In Handbook
of translation studies,
vol. 5, edited
by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer. John Benjamins.
Piekkari, Rebecca, Denice Welch, and Lawrence Welch. 2014. Language
in International business: The multilingual reality of
global business
expansion. Edward Elgar.
Schäffner, Christina, Luciana Sabina Tcaciuc, and Wine Tesseur. 2014. “Translation
practices in political institutions: A comparison of
national, supranational, and non-governmental
organisations.” Perspectives 22 (4): 493–510.
Snell-Hornby, Mary, Franz Pöchhacker, and Klaus Kaindl, eds. 1994. Translation
Studies: An
interdiscipline. John Benjamins.
Steyaert, Chris, and Maddy Janssens. 1997. “Language
and translation in an international business context: Beyond
an instrumental
approach.” Target 9 (2): 269–294.
Tenzer, Helene, Siri Terjesen, and Anna-Will Harzing. 2017. “Language
in international business: A review and agenda for future
research.” Management
International
Review 57 (6): 815–854.
Tietze, Susanne. 2010. “International
managers as
translators.” European
Journal of International
Management, 4 (1/2): 184–199.
Tietze, Susanne, Kaisa Koskinen, and Rebecca Piekkari. 2022. “Translation
approaches within organization
studies.” In Translation
beyond translation studies, edited
by Kobus Marais. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Venuti, Lawrence. 1993. “Translation
as cultural politics: Regimes of domestication in
English.” Textual
Practice 7 (2): 208–223.
Vermeer, Hans. 1978. “Ein
Rahmen für eine allgemeine
Translationstheorie.” Lebende
Sprachen 23 (3): 99–102.
Westney, D. Eleanor, Rebecca Piekkari, Kaisa Koskinen, and Susanne Tietze. 2022. “Crossing
borders and boundaries: Translation ecosystems in
international
business.” International
Business
Review 31 (5): 102030.
