Where translation studies and the social meet

Abstract

This article outlines some main developments that have led to the recent emergence of research on the ‘sociology of translation.’ Such research adopts approaches from the broader social sciences, particularly sociology, but is also directly related to the so-called ‘cultural turn’ within translation studies. The scope of translation research has subsequently expanded to include cultural and power-related issues, creating common ground with the social sciences both in terms of how translation is conceptualized and the methods used to study it. Translation has come to be understood as a socially situated relation with difference, just as translation practitioners and researchers have been understood as complex, situated agents acting within and across the social spheres that condition cross-cultural, multilingual exchange. This orientation opens the way for new discoveries at the intersection of translation studies and the social sciences – work Translation in Society seeks to advance.