Research on translation in general, and on specialised translation in particular, has long abandoned a purely linguistic perspective and has embraced principles and methodologies coming from neighbouring disciplines such as terminology, cognitive psychology, philosophy and sociology. The translator’s job is today seen as an activity where considerations of a purely linguistic nature are often accompanied, if not superseded, by a wide array of considerations that were traditionally thought to pertain to the extra-linguistic sphere (and therefore seen as lying outside the scope of studies of translation). The paper provides a brief overview of recent discussions of the two notions of “translation norm” and “translation competence”, seen from an essentially sociological perspective. Reference is made to how such discussions can positively contribute to the teaching of translation, and implications are drawn for a redefinition of the professional translator’s status.