This article focuses on the theory and methodology of translation with particular reference to the original alliance between the theory of meaning and sociocriticism in literary translation. Translating literary texts from English into French and vice versa has often posed the problem of inadequate re-expression of a written message, mainly due to the inadequacies of linguistic, semiotic and comparative approaches. Through an analytical study of the literary translation process, the article shows that apart from the need for mastery of two different languages (here English and French) as well as two different cultures involved in the translation process, the literary translator should be conversant with both the interpretive methodology and sociocriticism as an effective means of conveying the writer’s message from the source language to the target language. The article seeks to highlight the need for integration of the extra-linguistic components of sociocriticism into the interpretive process, with a number of practical examples drawn mainly from the African literary production in English or French.