The Status Quo and the Limitations of the Sociology of Translation Studies

Firstly,the paper elucidates on the origin of the sociology of Translation Studies and provides an analysis of the features of Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice,Luhmann’s Theory of Social Systems and Latour’s Actor-Network Theory,as well as their core concepts: field,habitus,capital,system,and network. Then,the progress of the sociology of Translation Studies since the 1990s is outlined,and at once its limitations are pointed out: centrifugation,relativism and ethnography in terms of ontology,epistemology and methodology respectively. Lastly,it is maintained that,for the sake of vitality of the research paradigm,the sociology of Translation Studies is to develop in two directions: proportionate ontological return and enhancement of its explanatory power.