How to use language agents for knowledge transfer? Evidence from translators and multinational organizations in Korea

Abstract

Purpose For knowledge transfer in multinational organizations, knowledge management studies draw on diverse practices, such as employees’ language proficiency or environments, such as cultural contexts, but pay little attention to the practical role of external agents, i.e. translators. The purpose of this study is to analyze how translators facilitate knowledge transfer, using their professional identity in relation to employees’ cultural competence and organizations’ Human Resource Management (HRM) practices. Design/methodology/approach This study examines survey data on 182 translators and 206 HRM managers who work in multinational organizations. Regarding common method bias, comparing people with different views and inclusion of control variables collected from archival sources will help the empirical results to be robust. Findings This study finds that translators’ business-oriented professional identities complement employees’ cultural competence and eventually promote knowledge transfer. Furthermore, translators’ business-oriented professional identities are enhanced by organizations’ commitment-based HRM practices. Originality/value This study expands knowledge management studies by incorporating external agents into the analysis of knowledge transfer. Particularly for the language approach in knowledge management, the framework of this study sheds light on the critical dimension of translators’ professional identity for organizational goals. Practically, this study suggests that multinational organizations should design commitment-based HRM practices to motivate translators’ business-oriented identity for knowledge transfer.