François Ost carries out a comprehensive study of the preeminence that the need for translation has, from ancient times to the present day, as a result of the problem unleashed with the multiplicity of languages in the Tower of Babel. Once the costly alternative of a single language or the retreat to ideolects has been overcome, he distinguishes the emergence of a translation paradigm, in accordance with a world that is thought of in terms of networks and communication. He explores the mythical foundations of the paradigm, the historical turns, the conceptual frontiers and the linguistic presuppositions; then, he deduces the methodological guidelines and the ethical implications to, finally, set out the political conditions for its implementation