How should one translate? If there is a question that forms the backbone of translatology, translation criticism and translation education, this must be it. Clearly, the answer to this question depends on who is doing the job for whom, working on what texts under what circumstances, and why. The author proposes to discuss this familiar question in the context of developments outside the Western world, where the work of the translator can be seen as a catalyst to action which is of benefit to society as a whole. The author argues that in this context, notions of equivalence become less important than social effectiveness.