In this article I analyze the history of Translation Studies (TS) in Finland from its beginnings to the present with the help of polysystem theory, while also examining the impact of various individuals and communities on the development of the Finnish tradition of TS. My analysis indicates that the “centrality” of Finnish researchers in Translation Studies – which was particularly visible before the discipline went global in the 2010s – can be explained by some general trends in European higher learning, but more than that by the strong relations that Finnish translation scholars have had with local translation professionals, international colleagues and, last but not least, among themselves.

Keywords: descriptive translation studies, translator training, Finnish translation history, internationalization

Mots-clés : traductologie descriptive, formation des traducteurs, histoire de la traduction en Finlande, internationalisation