Cultural transfer and the sociology of translation

Abstract

The sociology of translation has opened up a broad field of research in recent years. Nevertheless, the autonomy of this research line has been relativized since this ‘sociological turn’ was preceded by the ‘cultural turn’ in translation studies (TS). Consequently, the focus of research should be on the interaction between translation and culture when analyzing sociological aspects in TS. Therefore, in this article, the concept of cultural transfer is used as a processual basis for the study of sociological aspects of a literary transfer in tandem with the way a target culture influences a translation and subjects it to its own ideas. This allows for interpreting all activity regulated by various actors from the perspective of the receiving culture. Focusing on the reception of recent Dutch and Belgian literatures in Germany, the presented approach offers innovations in the study of literary transfer while also acknowledging methodological challenges.