This study analyzes the conditions under which and for what purposes translations are conducted, from a sociological point of view through a focus on the example of the transformation of Boule de Suif, Maupassant's first masterpiece, into Yağ Tulumu in Turkish, drawing attention to the meaning and importance of this transformation in the sociological context. However, in the examination of the work, a product-oriented approach was taken in preference to a processoriented one; the work is handled along the axis of its essence and content rather than that of its form and structural features. Because a translation comes into being within a relationship to the social and cultural environments in which it is produced and read, this study adopts Itamar Even-Zohar’s theory of literary poly-system and it also uses the concepts of center and periphery relations and cultural repertoire to clarify some facts in Turkish literary history. After briefly noting the development of the role of translation in Turkish culture and literature in its chronological development, the study examines how a new culture was deliberately created in Turkish history in the 1930s and how the translation movement begun at this direction could serve as an example for the theory of literary poly-system. The birth of the medium of comics, its structure and genres, and the ways in which it functions are presented. Moreover, its place and function in popular culture in the global age, together with the related social and cultural aspects, are also shown. Information on Guy de Maupassant and his work Boule de Suif is involved, including discussion of the life and identity of the author and his method and writing style. The translation of Boule de Suif into Turkish is explained, and the facts that have caused its change of genre and language to a comic book in Turkish under the title Yağ Tulumu are discussed. The content of the work in relation to both its transformation and its universal appeal is described. The plot, the characters, and the key details are highlighted. At the end of the study, it is made clear that no act of translation can occur casually or randomly. The introduction and circulation of translations also continues in line with certain social, ideological, and political goals along with the major translation movements that have been initiated for determined reasons, such as creating a new language, culture, and literature, as in the example of Turkish history. Thus, translation fulfills its task through products preferred within popular culture in the current global age, which are easy to access and have immediate impact on people. If it is accepted that visuality has a strong and permanent effect on human perception, the importance of the comic in this century as a genre with both literary and visual qualities becomes clear. Because mass media and art, including comics, are usually no considered apart from their social and cultural context, it is easy to conclude that are produced for political and ideological purposes as well as for economic ones. In this context, the transformation of the literary classics can be more clearly seen. To put it another way, a summary of the aims and justifications of this movement of classical works shows itself when the reasons for the transformation of Boule de Suif, the first masterpiece of Maupassant, into Yağ Tulumu are explored. Because the universal nature of the story lends itself to being used as a tool to awaken social consciousness, the work was made into a comic, one of the most effective and common tools of popular culture. Thus, when the type and qualities of the Yağ Tulumu are evaluated, it can be seen that it serves a counter to the dominant, hegemonic ideology. This study also suggests that comics containing picture and visual content can be used to awaken and enlighten public opinion, in contrast to the previous use by the upper classes who were able to manage illiterate lower classes using images in accordance with their own ends.