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It goes without saying that translation plays a crucial role in cultural exchange. However, we have to ask ourselves if something else is being translated in addition to language. “Cultural translation” is a particularly popular topic in cultural studies today. But is there indeed such a thing as “cultural translation” or “translation in the service of a nation’s interests”? In the 19th century, Japan was exposed to a wide range of cultures from Europe as soon as the policy of national isolation was ended. This was not a mutual exchange between Japan and outside countries but an almost exclusively one-sided flow of information from Europe into Japan. Numerous texts were translated from English or German, but into which target language? The problem was that there was no written language at the time that could be used as a language for modern Japanese literature. In fact, modern Japanese was generated from the translations produced during this era. Translation has significantly changed Japanese language and culture, and Japan’s experience offers insight into how the act of translation can be self-critical and destructive as well as innovative and creative. In this information age, people are content with partial knowledge. Many of us are no longer interested in foreign cultures; we are happy with ourselves and proud of our own culture. We do not necessarily know much about other cultures, or even believe there is anything left to learn from other cultures. Beliefs in the superiority of our own countries have led to the widespread emergence of slogans like “America First,” “Cool Japan,” and “Trau dich, Deutschland!” all over the world. What role do translators have to play in the self-sufficient societies of today? Every scholar in the humanities knows that language, culture and nation do not, in fact, form a trinity. Likewise, most scholars would agree that a “nation” cannot be defined by any substance such as a language, culture, or descent, but rather, constitutes nothing more than an “imagined community” (B. Anderson). Such scientific findings run counter to the claims of nationalism yet are often ignored, giving rise to anti-intellectualism and the spread of “fake news.” Working in such a field is anything but for translators. The role of interpreters and translators are not to partake in nationalistic acts rather provide an open language service that enables interactive cultural exchanges.