Zhang Xiang, a lecturer from the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FLT) at Macao Polytechnic University (MPU), collaborated with a scholar from Jinan University to conduct ground-breaking research analysing the dissemination, representative genres, and cultural impact of contemporary Chinese literature in Portuguese-speaking countries. The study, titled “Translating Culture: The Rise and Resonance of Chinese Contemporary Literature in the Portuguese-Speaking World,” has been published in Humanities & Social Sciences Communications (HSSC), a prestigious international journal under the Nature Portfolio. Zhang Xiang serves as the corresponding author of the paper.

The research systematically examines Portuguese translations of Chinese literary works through data mining on platforms such as Goodreads, Skoob, and Wook, covering translation quantity and ratio, genre distribution, and marketing strategies. Leveraging the Sketch Engine corpus analysis tool, the study further delves into reader reviews of these translations, revealing insights into the reception of Chinese literature in Portuguese-speaking regions. In the context of shifting from “translating the world” to “translating China,” this research offers profound perspectives on enhancing cultural and literary exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Humanities & Social Sciences Communications is Nature’s sole journal dedicated to humanities and social sciences, indexed in international databases such as SSCI and A&HCI. It holds a Q1 ranking in both JCR and JCI reports for humanities and social sciences, with an impact factor of 3.7. Notably, its Journal Impact Factor (JIF) ranks first among 265 interdisciplinary social science journals, and it maintains a Q1 position in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) rankings, solidifying its global influence in humanities research. The full paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04457-z.