Researching translation nowadays almost invariably means studying culture situations in which translations are performed as, according to the modern functionalist approach, it is the 'receiving' culture that determines translation strategy. The author of this article considers the chances for Latvian (or any other minor) literature to be translated into major languages, specifically into English. For that purpose, the author compares the attitudes on the source and target poles. If a work of small literature is translated into a major language, the two cultures involved do not stand on equal footing, the minor pole, in this case the source pole, is well informed about the target pole, while the target pole is often hardly aware of the source pole. In this article the author examines this phenomenon.