Many friends and colleagues helped me in identifying the themes and ideas that went into this book. I am deeply indebted to Federica Scarpa, Margaret Rogers, Maria Teresa Musacchio, Lawrence Venuti, David Katan, Chris Taylor and Dimitris Asimakoulas. Other friends have accepted to read and comment on early, partial drafts of the book. My sincere thanks go to Nadja Blondet, Silvia Cacchiani and Annalisa Sezzi. I am also particularly grateful to Marina Bondi, Marc Silver and other colleagues at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, who were enormously patient with me as I combined work on this book with my duties as a teacher and researcher there. Thanks, finally, to the Library staff at the School for Interpreters and Translators of the University of Trieste for their patience and assistance.