Somewhere Between a Hobby and a Profession: An Approximation to a Translators’ Habitus

Scholars of cultural globalisation overwhelmingly agree that cultural exchanges, albeit asymmetrical and sometimes contested, have increased during the last four decades. Literature is by no means the exception and with the increase in translations, there has been a growing interest on behalf of scholars and policy makers in understanding the mechanisms and the actors behind literary circulation. This study builds on some of the previous research about translators’ habitus, routines and job satisfaction and expands on the existing literature by presenting empirical data on the common dispositions, routines, ethos and problems shared by European literary translators. This analysis draws from the social movements’ literature, particularly from the concept of ‘radical habitus’ to theoretically frame the findings. The study presents the shared characteristics and also explores how the structural positions of source and target language, market sizes, and cultural policies also shape the conditions under which translators work. Based on 69 semi-structured interviews with European writers, translators, publishers, literary agents and consultants, this paper sheds light on the figure of the literary translator: their status in the field, their struggles, strategies and mechanisms for accumulating capital. The analysis suggests that the figure of the translator is regarded as a highly educated individual whose high cultural capital is not matched by their (relatively low) financial capital. The activity of translators was often located at an intersection between artistic creation, literary expertise and cultural mediation and it was defined as a challenging and important job but also one which faces threats from the market and technology.