ABSTRACT
It is fairly obvious that an ethnographic study of translation focuses on the socio-economic aspects of the profession and gives precedence to the participants’ own voices. But I also want to stress that it is important not to overlook the social study of the translations themselves. An analysis of even a minute linguistic feature can give us clues to the social role of the translation and translators in either the source or the target community. In this chapter, the focus is on how texts — originals and translations — are both shaped by their social context and also participate in shaping that context.
