Copyright law relegates translation to a secondary, or derivative, status, which means that publishinga translation requires the permission of the rights holder of the original. This thesis argues for the timelinessof revisiting the translation right by analyzing its foundations and its implications from a transdisciplinarypublic policy perspective.

This is done by first studying the historical and philosophical foundations ofcopyright law itself where the translation right is housed, revealing questionable philosophical arguments and acolonial past that has created legal path dependencies. The thesis then undertakes an examination of the foundations of the translation right specifically, dubbed"the international issue par excellence," which confirms the same pattern observed in the development ofcopyright law.

Given the complete absence of the translator's perspective from all internationaldiscussions on the translation right, copyright's view of translation is then contrasted with recent scholarshipin translation theory, with a special focus on the notion of agency(-ies), exposing the incompatibility of theseviews on translation, and highlighting the importance of including the perspective of translation studies inpolicies and laws related to translation. The last part of the thesis explores the present-day realities of knowledge societies, digital technologies,and globalization, in order to identify the role of translation today and in the future, whilehighlighting the tremendous gaps between the have's and the have-not's, and the necessity of recognizing thespecificities of different societies.

Knowledge is the new capital of the world, and the translation right is animpediment to the key role translation can potentially play in allowing societies to participate in the cycle ofits consumption and regeneration. Digital technologies are powerful enablers that have allowed those whohave leveraged and embraced them, such as the open movement and prosumers of all types, totransform the nature of their interactions with their environment macro- and microstructurally.

This has alsobeen reflected in the profession of translation, where collaborative projects are constantly initiated, while thenature of the translator's work is changing to the point where one seriously doubts whether the provisions ofthe century-old translation right still apply to it. The discussion on globalization focuses on language in aglobalized world, power relations between linguistic communities, and means of preserving linguisticdiversity and heritage.

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