Article published In:
Digital Translation
Vol. 11:2 (2024) ► pp.91–115

Analyzing research trends in localization

A comparative systematic review of journal articles in English and Chinese (2012–2023)

ORCID logo | Shanghai International Studies UniversityShanghai
 | Shanghai International Studies UniversityShanghai
ORCID logo | The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong SAR
This literature review paper examines articles on localization in translation studies published in English and Chinese journals from 2012 to 2023. We systematically reviewed a total of 147 publications consisting of 104 and 43 articles in English and Chinese respectively, integrating thematic analysis to examine their research types, areas, and methodologies. The findings reveal notable disparities between the English and Chinese journal papers regarding overall trends across these three dimensions. English papers are often characterized by preference for qualitative approaches and growing interest in multi-methods and mixed-methods designs, highlighting an increasing appreciation for unique elements in localized products. Chinese papers tend to be more general and place greater emphasis on localization training. Despite these variations, there has been a notable convergence towards descriptive approaches in recent studies regardless of the linguistic contexts, perhaps as a response to the evolving needs of the discipline as a whole. Our paper concludes by suggesting future directions for localization research, particularly in response to the dynamic landscape of game localization practices and the application of empirical methods.
Keywords: localization, new translation practices, literature review, methodology, translation studies
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Methodology: Data collection and analysis
    • 2.1Search strategy
    • 2.2Coding scheme
    • 2.3Data analysis
  • 3.Results: Recent development of translation and localization (2012–2023)
    • 3.1General trends in research types, research areas, and research methods
      • 3.1.1Research types
      • 3.1.2Research areas
      • 3.1.3Research methods
    • 3.2Research topics
      • 3.2.1Localization practices
      • 3.2.2Localization training
      • 3.2.3Needs analysis on localization
      • 3.2.4Conceptual research on localization
      • 3.2.5Localization and technology
  • 4.Conclusion and future directions
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 6 January 2025
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/dt.23009.liu
References (81)
References
Benjamin, Walter. 1996. “The Task of the Translator.” In Walter Benjamin: Selected Writings Volume 1: 1913–1926, by Marcus Bullock and Michael W. Jennings, 253–263. Cambridge, MA: The Belknapp Press.Google Scholar
Boéri, Julie, and Deborah Giustini. 2023. “Localizing the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar: Interpreters’ Narratives of Cultural, Temporal and Spatial Reconfiguration of Practice.” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 9 (2): 139–161. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Borodo, Michał. 2018. “Translation, Localization and Foreignization: The Metamorphoses of a Comic Book about a Girl from the Socialist Bloc.” Across Languages and Cultures 19 (1): 99–120. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bowker, Lynne, and Frédéric Blain. 2022. “When French Becomes Canadian French. The Curious Case of Localizing Covid-19 Terms with Microsoft Translator.” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 9 (1): 1–37. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cheng, Wei, and Zihang Wei. 2021. “翻译技术教学中的高阶思维培养” [High Order Thinking Skills in Translation Technology Teaching]. Shanghai Journal of Translator 31: 39–44.Google Scholar
Cronin, Michael. 2003. Translation and Globalization. London & New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
CSA Research, trans. by Yongye Meng and Lifei Wang. 2021. 全球语言服务市场报告(2017–2020) [The Language Services Market Report (2017–2020)] Beijing: University of International Business and Economics Press.Google Scholar
Cui, Qiliang, and Jiaxin Liu. 2016. “国有企业语言服务需求调查分析及启示” [State-owned Enterprises’ Language Services Needs Analysis and Suggestions] Chinese Translators Journal 37 (4): 70–76.Google Scholar
Cui, Qiliang, and Mengmeng Huang. 2022. “基于行业需求分析的语言服务核心课程设计” [Design of Language Service Curriculum based on the Analysis of Industry Requirements]. Foreign Language Education in China 5 (4): 34–40.Google Scholar
Cui, Qiliang. 2013. “中国本地化行业二十年(1993–2012)” [The History of China Localization Industry (1993–2012)]. Shanghai Journal of Translators (2): 20–24.Google Scholar
. 2015a. “本地化项目管理课程教学实践” [A Study on the Teaching Practice of Localization Project Management]. Shanghai Journal of Translators (2): 58–62.Google Scholar
. 2015b. “全球化视域下的本地化特征研究” [Localisation Features Research from a Globalisation Perspective]. Chinese Translators Journal 36 (4): 66–71.Google Scholar
Đorđević, Jasmina P., and Dušan Stamenković. 2021. “The Influence of Monomodal and Multimodal Presentation on Translation Error Recognition: An Empirical Approach.” Perspectives 29 (6): 833–848. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dörnyei, Zoltán. 2007. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Dunne, Keiran J. 2006. “A Copernican Revolution.” In Perspectives on Localization, by Keiran J. Dunne, 1–11. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
EMT Expert Group. 2022. “EMT Competence Framework 2022.” [URL]
Esselink, Bert. 2000. A Practical Guide to Localization. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2022. “Thirty Years and Counting: A Global Industry Growing Up”. The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 9 (1): 85–93. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fang, Mengzhi. 2014. “应用(文体)翻译学的内部体系” [The Internal System of Pragmatic Translation Studies]. Shanghai Journal of Translator 21: 1–6.Google Scholar
Folaron, Debbie. 2006. “A Discipline Coming of Age in The Digital Age.” In Perspectives on Localization, by Keiran J. Dunne, 195–219. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gambier, Yves, and Ramunė Kasperẹ. 2021. “Changing Translation Practices and Moving Boundaries in Translation Studies.” Babel 67 (1): 36–53. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gaspari, Federico, Hala Almaghout, and Stephen Doherty. 2015. “A Survey of Machine Translation Competences: Insights for Translation Technology Educators and Practitioners.” Perspectives 23 (3): 333–358. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gui, Shichun, and Chunyan Ning. 1997. “语言学研究方法” [Research Methods in Linguistics]. Foreign Language Teaching and Research (3): 17–23.Google Scholar
Hadley, Wickham. 2016. ggplot2: Elegant graphics for data analysis. 2nd ed. AG Switzerland: Springer.Google Scholar
Han, Lintao, and Heping Liu. 2020. “语言服务本科人才培养： ‘翻译+技术’模式探索” [A “Translation +Technology” Model of Training for Interdisciplinary Language Service]. Chinese Translators Journal 41 (3): 59–66.Google Scholar
Izwaini, Sattar. 2014. “Amateur Translation in Arabic-Speaking Cyberspace.” Perspectives 22 (1): 96–112. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jiménez-Crespo, Miguel A. 2011. “The Future of General Tendencies in Translation.” Target 23 (1): 3–25. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jimenez-Crespo, Miguel A. 2013. Translation and Web Localization. London & New York: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jiménez-Crespo, Miguel A. 2019. “Localisation Research in Translation Studies: Expanding the Limits or Blurring the Lines?” In Moving Boundaries in Translation Studies, by Helle V. Dam, Matilde Nisbeth Brøgger, and Karen Korning Zethsen, 26–44. London and New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
2020. “Localization.” In Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, by Baker Mona and Gabriela Saldanha, 3rd, 299–304. London and New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
2016. “What Is (Not) Web Localization. A Prototype Approach” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 3 (1): 38–60. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jooyaeian, Ehsan, and Masood Khoshsaligheh. 2022. “Translation Solutions in Professional Video Game Localization in Iran.” Games and Culture 17 (7–8): 1054–1074. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kiran, Aysun. 2023. “Between Global and Local: Translation and Localization in Netflix Turkey’s Media Paratexts.” Translation Studies 16 (3): 361–378. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kockaert, Hendrik J. 2022. “Globalization, Localization and Translation in the Context of COVID-19.” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 9 (2): 95–96. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Konami. 1998. Metal Gear Solid. (Sony playstation) [video game]. Osaka, Japan.Google Scholar
Kuhn, Thomas S. 1962. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Läubli, Samuel, and Spence Green. 2020. “Translation Technology Research and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).” In The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Technology, by Minako O’Hagan, 370–383. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Li, Guangrong. 2012. “国外‘本地化’翻译研究学术话语的构建” [Constructing in the West the Academic Discourse about Localization]. Shanghai Journal of Translators (1): 14–18.Google Scholar
Liu, Ming, and Xiaolei Ma. 2020. “本地化翻译研究综述——基于《翻译研究文献》数据库的文献计量分析” [A Review of Researches on Translation and Localization — A Bibliometric Analysis of the Literature Indexed in John Benjamins Translation Studies Bibliography]. Foreign Language Research 61: 99–104.Google Scholar
Mangiron, Carmen, and Minako O’Hagan. 2006. “Game Localisation: Unleashing Imagination with ‘Restricted’ Translation.” The Journal of Specialised Translation 61: 10–21.Google Scholar
Mangiron, Carmen. 2017. “Research in Game Localisation: An Overview” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 4 (2): 74–99. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2021. “Training Game Localisers Online: Teaching Methods, Translation Competence and Curricular Design.” Interpreter and Translator Trainer 15 (1): 34–50. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Martin, Elizabeth. 2019. “Global Marketing Translation and Localization for French-Speaking Countries.” World Englishes 38 (3): 366–386. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Massidda, Serenella. 2023. “Disruptive AVT Workflows in the Age of Streaming: The Netflix Equation.” Target 35 (3): 455–475. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
McLoughlin, John. 2022. “Mask of the Translator: Walter Benjamin and Metal Gear Solid’s Difficult Relationship with Localization.” Games and Culture 17 (7–8): 1036–1053. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Morón, Marián, and Elisa Calvo. 2018. “Introducing Transcreation Skills in Translator Training Contexts: A Situated Project-Based Approach.” The Journal of Specialised Translation 291: 126–148.Google Scholar
Mu, Lei. 2020. “我国翻译硕士专业学位现状与问题——基于《翻译硕士专业学位发展报告》的分析研究” [Status Quo and Problems of China’s Master’s Degree in Translation and Interpreting: An Analytical Study Based on the Report on the Development of Master’s Degree in Translation and Interpreting ]. Chinese Translators Journal 41 (1): 87–96.Google Scholar
Nord, Christiane. 1991. Text Analysis in Translation. Amsterdam: Rodopi.Google Scholar
. 1997. Translating as a Purposeful Activity. Manchester: St. Jerome.Google Scholar
Nitzke, Jean, Anke Tardel, and Silvia Hansen-Schirra. 2019. “Training the Modern Translator–the Acquisition of Digital Competencies through Blended Learning.” Interpreter and Translator Trainer 13 (3): 292–306. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Brien, Sharon, and Alessandra Rossetti. 2021. “Neural Machine Translation and the Evolution of the Localisation Sector: Implications for Training.” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 7(1–2): 95–121. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Brien, Sharon. 2012. “Translation as Human-Computer Interaction.” Translation spaces 11: 101–122. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Hagan, Minako, and Carmen Mangiron. 2013. Game Localization: Translating for the Global Digital Entertainment Industry. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Hagan, Minako, Julie McDonough Dolmaya, and Hendrik J. Kockaert. 2019. “Pandemic, localization and change of guard.” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 6 (2): 69–85. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Hagan, Minako. 2017. “Seeking Delocalization: Fan Community and Game Localization in the Age of User Empowerment.” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 4 (2):183–202. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
PACTE Group. Amparo Hurtado Albir, Anabel Galán-Mañas, Anna Kuznik, Christian Olalla-Soler, Patricia Rodríguez-Inés & Lupe Romero. 2020. “Translation Competence Acquisition. Design and Results of the PACTE Group’s Experimental Research.” The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 14 (2): 95–233. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Péron, Cristina, and Lucía Morado Vázquez. 2014. “In-context Online Localisation tools: The Case Study of Reverso Localize.” Localisation Focus — The International Journal of Localisation 13(1): 4–15.Google Scholar
Pietrzak, Paulina, and Michał Kornacki. 2021. Using CAT Tools in Freelance Translation: Insights from a Case Study (1st ed.). New York: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pym, Anthony. 2004. The Moving Text: Localization, Translation and Distribution. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2010. Exploring Translation Theories. 1st ed. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
. 2016. Translation Solutions for Many Languages. Histories of a Flawed Dream. London: Bloomsbury.Google Scholar
. 2017. Exploring Translation Theories. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Risku, Hanna, Theresa Pichler, and Vanessa Wieser. 2017. “Transcreation as a Translation Service: Process Requirements and Client Expectations.” Across Languages and Cultures 18 (1): 53–77. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Rodríguez-Castro, Mónica. 2018. “An Integrated Curricular Design for Computer-Assisted Translation Tools: Developing Technical Expertise.” Interpreter and Translator Trainer 12 (4): 355–374. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ryan, Lorcan, Dimitra Anastasiou, and Yvonne Cleary. 2017. “Using Content Development Guidelines to Reduce the Cost of Localising Digital Content.” Localisation Focus: The International Journal of Localisation 8 (1): 11–28.Google Scholar
Schäler, Reinhard. 2010. “Localization and Translation.” In Handbook of Translation Studies, by Yves Gambier and van Doorslaer Luc, 209–214. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Translators Association of China. 2024. 2024中国翻译行业发展报告 [China Translation Industry Development Report 2024]. Accessed May 20. [URL]
Wang, Chuanying, and Rui Lu. 2015. “本地化翻译规范研究” [A Study on Translational Norms in the Localization Service]. Shanghai Journal of Translator (2): 63–69.Google Scholar
Wang, Huashu, and Ming Liu. 2015. “本地化技术研究纵览” [An Overview of Localization Technologies]. Shanghai Journal of Translator (3): 78–84.Google Scholar
Wang, Qingran, and Jun Xu. 2022. “技术进步视域下机器翻译技术对语言服务行业的影响分析” [Analysis of the Impact of Machine Translation Technology on the Language Service Industry from the Perspective of Technological Progress]. Foreign Languages in China (1): 21–29.Google Scholar
Wu, Zhiwei, and Zhuojia Chen. 2020. “Localizing Chinese Games for Southeast Asian Markets.” The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 7 (1–2): 49–68. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Xu, Jun, and Ping Wu. 2019. “基于CiteSpace的国内外本地化翻译研究: 现状、问题与对策” [CiteSpace-based Review on Domestic and Foreign Localisalion Research: Status quo, Problems and Strategies]. Foreign Language Education 40 (6): 87–91.Google Scholar
Yu, Jingsong, Huilin Wang, and Cong Wang. 2014. “翻译技术认证考试的设计与实证” [Design and Empirical Research on Translation Technology Examinations]. Chinese Translators Journal 41: 73–78.Google Scholar
Zhang, Lin, Yuanyuan Shang, Ying Huang, and Gunnar Sivertsen. 2021. “Toward Internationalization: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Social Sciences in Mainland China from 1979 to 2018”. Quantitative Science Studies 2(1): 376–408. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Xiaochun. 2013. “Censorship and Digital Games Localisation in China.” Meta 57 (2): 338–50. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Xiaoying. 2023. “China’s Communication in the Changing World.” In China’s Opportunities for Development in an Era of Great Global Change: Understanding China, by Fang Li and Junkai Li, 293–311, Singapore: Springer.Google Scholar
Zhao, Cheng. 2021. “Translator’s Preface.” In Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, by Zoltán Dörnyei, trans. by Cheng Zhao, vi–xix. Beijing: The Commercial Press.Google Scholar