This paper explores the application of ggplot2 in translation teaching, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of translation teaching through data visualization. ggplot2 is a powerful data visualization package based on the R language, which helps students to better understand and master translation skills by visually displaying language patterns and translation strategies. It was found that applying ggplot2 to translation teaching improves students’ translation skills, cross-cultural comprehension as well as accuracy and consistency. The classification and characteristics of data visualization tools, and applications in education, highlight the advantages of ggplot2 in handling datasets, information scalability, interoperability, customizability, interactivity, and adoptability. Furthermore, the article identifies challenges and opportunities for applying data visualization in translation teaching and suggests directions for future research, including how to integrate ggplot2 more effectively into translation teaching and how to evaluate the impact of this teaching method on students’ translation skills and learning experience.