1 Introduction

This section elucidates the growing significance of translating Chinese academic works in the context of China’s modernization, highlighting its irreplaceable role in disseminating Chinese academic achievements and enhancing international academic discourse power. As key executors of academic translation, university foreign language teachers need to possess comprehensive capabilities beyond those of traditional translators. Through qualitative research methods, this paper aims to extract, from a practical perspective, the essential qualities and skills required for academic translators, thereby providing a robust reference for translator selection and competency development, and better serving the dissemination of Chinese scholarship and the construction of an independent academic discourse system.

2 Literature Review

This section reviews research on the translation of Chinese academic works and translator competence. Studies on translating Chinese academic works encompass translation, dissemination, and national policy dimensions, offering theoretical support for integrating Chinese academic discourse into the international arena. Research on translator competence has evolved from early text-focused approaches to include non-linguistic abilities, yet it predominantly relies on quantitative analyses, often overlooking embodied experiences. Emphasizing humanistic and holistic perspectives, this study incorporates case-specific differences and embodied practices, employing qualitative research to address the core competencies required for university foreign language teachers in academic translation, the challenges they face, and ways to optimize the academic translation environment.

3 Research Design

This section outlines the research design, including the participants, data collection, and data analysis. The participants consisted of 10 project leaders or review experts involved in Chinese academic translation projects. Data were collected through semi-structured written or oral interviews, covering aspects such as the basic information of academic translation projects, required competencies, and challenges encountered. Data analysis was conducted using NVivo 12 software for qualitative analysis, employing an inductive approach to code interview content into six core categories, revealing the structural characteristics of university foreign language teachers’ competence in translating Chinese academic works.

4 Research Findings

Based on qualitative interviews with project leaders and review experts of Chinese academic translation projects, this section delves into the competencies required for university foreign language teachers in academic translation. The findings indicate that foreign language proficiency, academic experience, and translation experience form the foundational competencies, while multicultural academic capital, cross-domain academic practice ability, and bidirectional translation strategies represent deeper requirements. These competencies can be categorized into three main themes: intercultural competence, academic competence, and translation competence. Regarding intercultural competence, the importance of foreign language proficiency—including bilingual skills and cultural understanding—as well as the critical role of multicultural academic capital in team formation, is emphasized. Academic competence involves the accumulation of academic experience and the challenges of cross-domain academic practice. Translation competence focuses on the application of translation experience and the implementation of bidirectional translation strategies to achieve cross-lingual reproduction of Chinese academic thought.

5 Discussion

This chapter, grounded in qualitative interviews with 10 university foreign language teachers, provides an in-depth analysis of the core requirements for competence in translating Chinese academic works. The study finds that effective performance in this area necessitates three core competencies: intercultural competence, academic competence, and translation competence. Each thematic category is further divided into foundational and deeper levels. Intercultural competence emphasizes the dual empowerment of foreign language proficiency and multicultural academic capital; academic competence focuses on the accumulation of academic experience and the expansion of cross-domain academic practice abilities; while translation competence relies on translation experience as a practical foundation and bidirectional translation strategies as a guiding framework.

6 Conclusion

This section summarizes the findings of the qualitative study, noting that foreign language proficiency and multicultural academic capital are crucial for academic translation, rigorous attitude and post-translation communication are central to the dissemination of Chinese scholarship to the West, and the bidirectional application of knowledge and experience is fundamental to problem-solving. It refines the theoretical model of translator competence and offers recommendations for talent selection and development.