The article considers the question of representation. The author examines critically the way in which translation and translation studies itself have been intervening negatively in non-Western contexts: ‘Translation has not been intervening in a way we like or even find acceptable. The gap between the global haves and have-nots has been widening … There is no denying translation’s crucial role in bringing about and sustaining this sorry state of affairs’. The author claims that translation practice and study has maintained a ‘Northward’ orientation, creating a ‘drastic imbalance in translator-mediated cultural exchanges’. The particular case he examines is that of China, where the study of translation has boomed in recent years. Yet China has opted for the wholesale importation and application of Western theories rather than for selective adoption and remodelling or for the advancement of their own models. The author calls for ‘representational justice’ for the South and a special effort to counter the homogenization of the North. As an example, he challenges the view within translation studies that foreignization is an appropriate strategy for the translation of minority literature, arguing that this maintains the alienation of the marginal group. The article calls for greater efforts to make the South a ‘fundamental point of reference for translation in our time’. Interestingly, the past few years in Europe have seen a surge in interest in non-Western translation theories and studies, although it is as yet unclear how far these will intervene in mainstream practice and theory. It will be just as crucial to see how far Western theories are displaced in countries such as China and India.