Translation strategies and fields of translations

The translations of Max Weber’s ‘The Protestant Ethic’ into English

Abstract

The paper investigates the translations into English of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by the German classic of sociology Max Weber. Following the question “what happens when sociologists translate sociology”, the paper explores the development of Weber’s field of translation over time and puts the structure of the field in context with the translation strategies chosen by three different translators following Andrew Chesterman’s categories. It is shown that Weber’s growing recognition in the field of social studies has considerably contributed to changing the strategies chosen when translating Weber. References to Parson’s translation, detailed discussions of terminology, introductions and other paratextual elements in more recent translation are not only evidence of dynamics internal to the translation field, but also show the importance for the translators/sociologists to be visible to their readers and to offer a text accessible to a modern public.