A Sociological Study into the Impact of Capital on Moss Roberts’ Translation—<i>Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel</i>

The study of translation has undergone a shift from language-level analysis to a cultural turn and, subsequently, a return to a more macroscopic social perspective. As social research in translation primarily targets external factors, it falls under centrifugal research in translation studies. To sustain the vitality of translation studies, there is a need for a balanced approach, combining centrifugal research with centripetal research. Moss Roberts’ translation of <i>San Guo Yan Yi</i> is initiated by China Foreign Language Press and co-published by China and the US presses in 1991. It is considered the most academic complete English version of <i>San Guo Yan Yi</i>. Drawing on the social practice theory of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, this study analyzes Moss Roberts’ translation practices of and the influence of capital in the English translation and dissemination field. It attempts a micro-level and reverse study of sociological aspects of translation by examining three key aspects: the influence of cultural capital, the impact of social capital, and the manipulation of power capital. The results showed that Moss Roberts’ translation practices are deeply influenced by his cultural, social and power capital. Among them, his cultural capital enables the translation to be academic; his social capital empowers it to be accurate and faithful; and his power capital manipulates it where religious information arises.