In this article, the ‘relevant factors’ of skopos theory are discussed and contrasted with the findings of an ethnographic study of literary translators in the Netherlands and Belgium. The findings are based on a qualitative data analysis of in-depth interviews with twelve translators of Irish poetry. Skopos theory provides translation scholars with a framework for exploring significant aspects of translation without losing sight of their inter-relatedness. The aim of the current study is to subject these factors to ethnographic research and thus provide Skopos theory with empirical data. In the long perspective, this involves a shift of focus regarding the ‘relevant factors’ in the theory.