A Bourdieusian Analysis of the Role of the Translator's Cultural and Social Capital in Choosing a book for Translation

Case Study: Abdolhossein Azarang

Abstract

In the sociological approach to translation studies, the topic of the sociology of the translator is very important and highlights the central position of the translators themselves in the process and selection of the translation topic. The purpose of the present research was to examine the translated works of Abdolhossein Azarang based on Pierre Bourdieu's (1986) "action" theory. This descriptive-analytical research seeks to explain the role of translators' social and cultural capitals in selecting books for translation. Therefore, it first explains the basics of Bourdieu's theory of action and its connection with translation studies, and then, while providing a complete description of capital and its types, examines the translator's translated books and explains the role of capital by referring to the interview conducted with the translator. Since the focus of the research was on the translator's cultural and social capitals, the types, and examples of these capitals in the translator's life were analyzed. After a case-by-case review of the translated books and the results of the interview with the translator, it was found that Azarang's translations are mostly in the four fields of "History of Civilization, History of Science, History of Philosophy, and Information Science and Education". The findings indicated that in the field of "History of Civilization", cultural capital (objectified and institutionalized), in the field of "History of Philosophy", cultural capital (embodied and institutionalized) and social capital, in the field of "History of Science", cultural capital (embodied and institutionalized) and in the field of "information science and education", embodied cultural capital and translator's social capital have played a role in the selection of translated books.