Translation is a culture-bound communicative transfer process. As a result of this process, a product of a culture is positioned in another cultural system. Reception of a product is determined by the expectations of the target reader, whereas the source culture factors are transferred to the target pole. The aim of this paper is to analyze the production and the translation processes of the works of internationally known Turkish writers Yaşar Kemal, Pamuk and Şafak in the framework of descriptive and socio-cultural approaches. The first part of this paper deals with the role of literary translation as a means of cultural representation and the positions of the above mentioned writers in the literary system of the source culture. Then, the motives of their national and international recognition are discussed in terms of translation processes and the actors and norms involved in these processes. The conclusion part sets forth the role of translation as a means of cultural representation as part of translation studies.