Translation as a Tool for Enhancing Organizational Knowledge Management: A Qualitative Adaptive Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Translation Studies, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Jahrom University, Fars, Iran

2 .

Abstract

Organizational knowledge management is recognized as one of the key factors in enhancing performance and innovation within organizations. The translation of international knowledge plays a crucial role in the transfer, localization, and effective application of information. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of translation in organizational knowledge management and its impact on innovation, learning, strategic decision-making, and adaptive policymaking. The significance of this research lies in the fact that, given the globalization trend and the need for organizations to benefit from international knowledge, identifying effective mechanisms of translation can facilitate the development of organizational capacities and strategic alignment.
Methodology: This study employs a qualitative and descriptive-analytical approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 experts and scholars in the fields of knowledge management and translation studies. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify patterns in the data, leading to the development of basic, organizing, and overarching themes that illustrate the multifaceted role of translation in organizational knowledge management.
Findings: Data analysis revealed that translation functions as a multidimensional tool across six main dimensions: a driver of organizational innovation, a mediator of knowledge and policy localization, a facilitator of organizational learning, a supporter of strategic decision-making, a tool for organizational synergy, and a mechanism for monitoring and continuous improvement. The findings further showed that translation not only enables the transfer of knowledge but also promotes innovation, knowledge sharing, unit coordination, improved strategic decision-making, and sustainable organizational development.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that translation plays a strategic and multidimensional role in organizational knowledge management and can be employed as a tool for innovation, learning, decision-making, and adaptive policymaking. Accordingly, organizations can establish multilingual knowledge repositories, integrate translation into innovation and organizational learning processes, utilize translation in the formulation of adaptive policies, and employ translation to strengthen organizational coordination.

Keywords

References

Arani, M. R. M. (2023). Evaluation and comparison of knowledge translation patterns. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 12, 230. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_230_23.
Wooi, C. T. (2024). Knowledge Management in the 21st Century: Trends, Developments, and Strategies. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research. 5(10), 4234 – 4257. doi: 10.11594/ijmaber.05.10.29
Abu-AlSondos, I. (2023). An empirical study of critical success factors in implementing knowledge management systems (KMS): The moderating role of culture. Uncertain Supply Chain Management, 11(4), 1527- 1538.
Al-Shahrani, MM. (2019). Trends in knowledge management processes and practices. Journal for Research on Business and Social Science (ISSN (Online) 2209-7880), 2(12)
Anumba, C., & Khallaf, R. (2022, November). Use of Artificial Intelligence to Improve Knowledge Management in Construction. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1101, No. 3, p. 032004). IOP
Ayatollahi, H., & Zeraatkar, K. (2020). Factors influencing the success of knowledge management process in health care organisations: a literature review. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 37(2), 98- 117.
 Azeem, M., Ahmed, M., Haider, S., & Sajjad, M. (2021). Expanding competitive advantage through organizational culture, knowledge sharing and organizational innovation. Technology in Society, 66, 101635.Publishing.
Bose, R. (2022). The evolving role of AI in knowledge management: Enhancing organizational intelligence. Journal of Information Technology, 47(3), 321-336. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/ j.jinftec. 2022.03.005
Hahn, C., & Hesse, F. W. (2021). Artificial Intelligence in Knowledge Management: Towards Intelligent Knowledge Work. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 19(2), 217-229.
 Hamid, SA. (2020). Knowledge management using social media tools in higher education institution. Recent Trends in Information Technology and its Application, 3(1),
Hassan, H., Aziz, MI., Zakaria, MN., & Merican, RMAR. (2022). Determination of knowledge management in Malaysian public universities. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business. E-ISSN: 2289- 8298. Vol. 10, Issue 1, pp. 44-56.
López, C., & Rodríguez, A. (2021). The Role of Natural Language Processing in Knowledge Management Systems. Information Processing & Management, 58(1), 102-112.
Manesh, MF., Pellegrini, MM., Marzi, G., & Dabic, M. (2020). Knowledge management in the fourth industrial revolution: Mapping the literature and scoping future avenues. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 68(1), 289-300.
 Mathrani, S., & Edwards, B. (2020). Knowledgesharing strategies in distributed collaborative product development. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 6(4), 194.
Valamis (2021). Knowledge management. Retrieved from ge-management https://www.valamis.com/hub/knowled.
Vasudevan, S., Patel, R., & Srinivasan, K. (2023). Automating knowledge creation with AI: Insights from real-world applications. Journal of Business and Technology, 19(2), 256-269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bustech.2023.05.006.
Rehman, S. U., Bresciani, S., Ashfaq, K., & Alam, G. M. (2022). Intellectual capital, knowledge management and competitive advantage: a resource orchestration perspective. Journal of Knowledge Management, 26(7), 1705-1731.
Rasshyvalov, D., & Diana, P. (2022). Implementation of the Knowledge Economy in the Corporate Strategies of International Corporations. Central Ukrainian Scientific Bulletin. Economic Sciences.
Smith, A., Jones, K., & Roberts, M. (2022). Natural language processing in AI-powered knowledge management: An intuitive approach to search. Information Systems Journal, 32(4), 561-575. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12377.
Park, J., & Lee, H. (2021). Leveraging AI to enhance the quality of knowledge bases: The case of Knowmax. Knowledge Management & E-Learning, 13(2), 193-210. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2021.1 3.002.
Dalkir, K. (2017). Knowledge management in theory and practice (3rd ed.). MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/10956.001.0001
Fitzpatrick, K. (2018). Translation as a tool for knowledge transfer in organizations. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(4), 725–742. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-05-2017-0170
Meyer, E. (2020). The impact of translation on organizational learning and innovation. International Journal of Management Reviews, 22(2), 194–210. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12200
Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195092691.001.0001
Venuti, L. (2012). The translation studies reader (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203106995
Westney, D. E. (2022). Crossing borders and boundaries: Translation ecosystems in organizational contexts. Journal of Business Research, 139, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.09.050.
Journal of Comparative Public Administration
Volume 4, Issue 1
June 2026
Pages 86-105

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 26 August 2025
  • Revise Date: 13 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 22 November 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics