Translating across cultures

This paper discusses the rise of Translation Studies as st discipline, and the relationship between language and culture in that discipline. It is argued that translation has played a key role in moments of social transformation. The concept of the translator as mediator between cultures is set against that of the translator as agent of cultural oppression, and essential inequalities in the translation process are discussed. Examples from jokes, knitting patterns and travel literature are presented as illustrations of the interrelatedness of language and culture.