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Description: This paper looks at the early period (950-1150 C.E.) of the translation of Buddhist materials in the so-called phyi dar, or ‘Second Diffusion’ of Buddhism in Tibet. Specifically this paper addresses the figure of the lo tsa ba, or ‘Translator’, both those of the specifically Tantric variety, such as rwa lo rdo rje grags and ‘brog mi shakya ye shes, but also those that came slightly earlier and are anomalous if only because of their general disposition against being wholly categorized, such as the ‘Great Translator’, rin chen bzang po. These entrepreneurial religious figures drove the search for Indian Buddhist materials and the characteristics of their introduction into Tibetan understanding. Yet what we know about their directives, the specific problems they faced, and especially their motivations is extremely limited. This paper is an attempt to shed some light on these issues through not only piecing together the disjointed information we have on these individuals under this specific context, but also through looking at them in conjunction as representative of the growth of the disparate institutions whose primary directive was the importation of Indian Buddhist materials.