It is well-known that censorship is not always a facet of polarized situations where innocent victims (writers, translators) are pitted against repressive regimes. Monitoring literature is often in the interests of several groups within society, translators included. But censorship is not purely institutional, either. By examining case studies, the author’s aim is to try to unravel some of the motives behind censorial working Finland in the nineteenth century, both on the official level and on the level of the individuals working within censorship. An interesting and rare case of a translator, Carl Niclas Keckman, working as a censor sheds light on the complexity of the situation. Later in the century, self-censorship and gatekeeping in translation are studied through the work of another translator, Samuli Suomalainen. Questions such as concern for the intended audience and the impact of translations on the target society are discussed as potential factors behind censorial action.