In an era of rapid technological advancement, shifting academic ecosystems, and profound social restructuring, foreign language education is undergoing a critical transformation. The rise of generative AI, the intensification of global mobility and intercultural exchange, and the blurring of disciplinary boundaries have reshaped its mission. Beyond developing linguistic competence, language education now must equip learners to navigate new social realities, broaden interdisciplinary horizons, and cultivate innovative capacities. Universities, therefore, need to rethink pedagogical philosophies and curriculum design, integrating technology and crossdisciplinary collaboration to strengthen connections with society and industry.
This issue, themed “Transition, Interdisciplinarity, and Innovation in Foreign Language Education,” responds to these challenges across theory, practice, and application. Generative AI is reshaping translation, writing, and teaching practices, requiring teachers and learners alike to reconsider ethics and professional positioning in human–machine collaboration. Meanwhile, multilingual perspectives shift attention from single-language mastery toward cross-linguistic resource use and autonomous learning strategies. In parallel, global shifts highlight the importance of transnational research and world literature teaching. In this landscape, foreign language education becomes not only a means of communication but also a bridge to understanding the world and fostering pluralistic coexistence.
This issue presents six contributions: three featured articles and three general articles. Together, they illustrate the field’s theoretical innovations and practical applications. The first featured article, “Comparison of Chinese-Spanish Translations of Fortress Besieged: Analyzing the Advantages and Disadvantages of ChatGPT vs. Human Translation” by Yang Ming, compares machine and human translations of Fortress Besieged. The study demonstrates ChatGPT’s semantic strengths but highlights its limitations in cultural nuance and stylistic fidelity. It underscores the pedagogical importance of “human–AI collaboration” and calls for translation training to integrate AI literacy with critical evaluation skills. The second featured article,“Pedagogical Translanguaging in Written Corrective Metalinguistic Feedback: Impacts on Learners’ Spanish Past Tense Usage Accuracy” by Francisco de Borja Navarro and Hui-Tzu Min, examines cross-linguistic corrective feedback in Spanish writing. Their findings demonstrate that trilingual feedback (Spanish–Chinese–English) improves grammatical accuracy more effectively than bilingual approaches, emphasizing the value of mobilizing learners’ full linguistic repertoires. The third featured article, “Changes in Foreign Language Teaching from the Interdisciplinary Perspective of Regional Studies: Latin American Studies in the Spanish Program as an Example” by Li Ziying and Li Mengyu, argues for integrating regional and area studies into foreign language curricula. The authors propose modularized courses, localized teaching materials, and interdisciplinary collaboration as strategies to foster intercultural and geopolitical awareness.
The issue also includes three general contributions that expand the discussion of language education and cultural studies. The first general article, “An Exploration on the Realization Path of the Teaching of Lesser-Used Languages for Specific Purposes” by He Juan, applies LSP (Language for Specific Purposes) theory to the teaching of less commonly taught languages. The article advocates for needsbased instruction, AI-assisted materials, and school–enterprise partnerships to align language education with industry demands. The second general article, “City Sketches in Julien Green’s Travel Diary” by Lin Te-Yu, analyzes Julien Green’s depictions of Paris, Rome, and New York as spaces of introspection and cultural memory, contributing both to travel literature research and to language–culture pedagogy. The third general article, “Wine and Poetry, Wine in Poetry: A Comparison between Greco-Roman and Classical Chinese Literature” by Catello Criscuolo, examines the symbolic role of wine across traditions, showing its capacity to mediate life, art, and cultural values, while illustrating the richness of intercultural poetics.
Collectively, these six contributions demonstrate how foreign language education is being redefined through technology, multilingual strategies, disciplinary integration, and cultural interpretation. They offer both theoretical insights and practical guidance. Looking forward, the field of foreign language education needs to continue to balance technological innovation with humanistic values, cultivating learners who combine global vision with local engagement through interdisciplinary and international collaboration.
We sincerely thank all authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and editorial staff for their contributions to this issue. We hope the journal will continue to serve as a platform for scholarly exchange and pedagogical innovation, fostering dialogue and collaboration for the sustainable development of foreign language education.
