This article discusses the concept of translation from a culturalist and systemic point of view, beyond merely linguistic and textual approaches. Analyzing some common metaphors employed to describe the processes of translation leads to a historical semantics of translation in the West. This diachronical approach is fundamental to the understanding of cultural wars underlying the making and institutionalization of Translation Studies as a theoretical and academic field. Furthermore, the article tries to identify and describe the conescutive hegemonic paradigms in this field (from linguistics to comparative ltieratrue of cultural studies).