Reddit reviews Translating Cultures: An Introduction for Translators, Interpreters and Mediators

Do you want to know more about translation theory or translation itself? This sub is called TranslationStudies, but it's really about translation. They're not the same thing. Translation theorists analyze translation. It's very much like the difference between literary theory and literature.

As far as translation theory goes, Pym is a good place to start. I personally really liked Hans Hönig's take on functionalism, but all his books are in German AFAIK. I believe Christiane Nord is a proponent of functionalism. For a good survey, look up the Translation Studies Reader, edited by Lawrence Venuti. There's also an Interpreting Studies Reader, edited by Pöchhacker. I have a book on my office shelf (from when I was planning to do a PhD) called "Translating Cultures: An Introduction for Translators, Interpreters and Mediators", by David Katan. Sounds like it's right up your alley.