This thesis is concerned with Swedish translators and the society in which they work. It begins with an exploration of the concept of translatorship and a review of previous scholarship on the subject, leading to a three-part distinction consisting of textual, paratextual and extratextual translatorship. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the empirical body of the thesis consists of three studies in which different aspects of extratextual translatorship – defined as the translator’s social role – are investigated focusing on the translation profession, two groups of translation students, and individual translators. Overall, the three studies generate a greater understanding of the dynamics of
translatorship in contemporary Sweden and, taken as a whole, the thesis demonstrates the value of a mixed methods approach in the field of agent-oriented translation sociology by shedding light on the links between the translator and society.

This is doctoral thesis in Translation Studies at Stockholm University, Sweden 2020