Discursive analysis of several political newspapers of 1815-1848 shows that specific cultural and ideological factors influenced the practice of translation in France and England, particularly with respect to the negative consequences of commercial priorities. These factors are situated in terms of their continued relevance to contemporary Descriptive Translation Studies. Examples are selected from the French writers Philarète Chasles, and Jules Janin, as well as the British author and journalist William M. Thackeray who at the time reported on the Paris cultural scene for a number of English periodicals.