The paper presents an attempt to apply the cognitive theory of prototypes in translation studies at the level of a macro-unit, which is so called bitext, that is, a pair of texts: the original and the translation, viewed and taken together.
In accordance with this approach, three theoretical models of the category of translation of the selected text were proposed. In addition to the general model, a category with prototypical translation and a category with a mental model of translation as elements of bitexts, located at the center of the category, are also presented.
The central-peripheral structure of the categories makes it possible to visualize the degree of approximation to the ideal of individual real or only potential bitexts. The models could also be useful in finding answers to the question of why, in the opinion of the audience, just this and not another translation of a work gained recognition or lost status, or in evaluating translation variants in translation series.
