This paper examines two interlinked phenomena: the positions of change in translation and the image of the translator. The author’s contention is that as the connection between the two has not been sufficiently explored in translation theory, we tend to work with an idealized conception of the translator, which is itself an obstacle to a more accurate comprehension of the nature of translation. The paper intends to explore what one might call the ‘theoretical status’ of the translator by examining his role in the overall context of change in translation. The author aims to identify the places and positions in which change may or will occur, in order to come to a more precise understanding both of the creative potential of the translator as the moving force in translation, and his necessary limitations in an operation which inevitably goes beyond the apparent simple act of moving between two languages.