Translation as Épreuve

Insofar as it introduces a distinction between l'étranger and le propre, translation serves to define linguistic, cultural, and national boundaries.  But translation can also function as a mediating force between these boundaries, and in this sense it holds promise as a transformative act.  This, I believe, is the sense of the word épreuve as used by Berman.

The linguistic changes wrought by translation can extend beyond the immediate confines of the translated text.  Berman cites Luther's translation of the Bible as a pivotal moment in the history of translation and literature in Germany.  This Verdeutschung served not only to render the text into German, but also to define the linguistic parameters for future translations.

If we turn our consideration to a discussion of world literature (including, but not limited to, the topics that Goethe raises in his essay), how might we envision a practice of translation that engages productively with 'foreign' texts?  What is the difference between translation as épreuve and translation as homogenization?  Although English, not German, is the dominant mode of linguistic discourse in the contemporary world, issues of history and economics (to which others have already alluded in their posts) remain pertinent.