This paper presents the central concept of translational effects (translatorische Wirkung) and the terminology for the description of cultural transfers and translation-induced changes developed in the author's Ph.D. thesis. Highlighting one aspect of a broad case study on German translations of French cookery books in Early Modern Times (presented in 3), the paper outlines various forms of the linguistic realizations of instructions and their distribution in medieval manuscripts. Following this discussion, the author analyzes in detail the diffusion and adoption of the imperative plural as a form of directive in cooking recipes. The analyses reveal hints at instances of translation-induced changes in text type conventions and therefore of a translational effect in our terminology.