Out of many alternative ways of looking at translators’ agency and role the author explores the choices, decisions and arguments of one individual translator, K. G. S. Suomalainen (1850–1907). His archives and documents provide ample data on issues such as the selection (or rejection) of books to be translated, translation strategies, the use of source texts and versions, typographical and layout design, and fees. The documents help us study the extent to which a translator is able to negotiate the conditions of his work: the balance between individual agency and collective norms.