The study of translation discourse is a necessary step towards an understanding of the phenomenon of translation. Translation discourse, which the author defines as all observations on translation, provides background information to case studies concerning individual translations or translations by individual authors. It also helps to form an idea of the contextual and socio-cultural framework with which to approach eighteenth-century translations. Moreover, it can serve as a starting-point for sociological and historical investigations into the phenomenon of translation. Rather than glancing at too many aspects, the author aims to discuss a few of them in some detail: after an examination of the main characteristics of the form of Dutch translation discourse, the author concentrates on one of the central issues in Dutch translation theory of the period: the problem of fidelity.