This translation studies article aims to locate the notion of habitus within the context of the sociological theory of P. Bourdieu by defining it in relation to the other heuristic notions of field and illusio. Two illustrations in literary translation are provided in an attempt to show the relevance of the notion of habitus within translation studies: those of the two major twentieth-century French translators, Maurice-Edgar Coindreau and Marcel Duhamel. Under examination are the primary and specific habitus of Coindreau and Duhamel in relation to each other. In order to define the notion of habitus, it is important to ask whether there is such a thing as a field (in Bourdieu’s sense) of translation, because certain traits of translating are likely to be formed in the field on which the translation depends. In fact, we do not believe that a field of translation currently exists, although incipient signs of the emergence of such a field appear to be emerging in the technical and specialized domains. On the other hand, in translation studies it seems clear that a specific and autonomous field emerged at the turn of the 1970s-1980s. Almost on a daily basis, one can observe its effect in the form of unified stakes of translation expressed in multiple structures (associations, symposia and conferences, reviews and specific collections, etc.) We conclude with some remarks on the habitus of the translation studies scholar/researcher while emphasizing the reflexive return to be performed in an effort to promote self-reflexivity (Bourdieu), one of the conditions of progress in translation studies.