Borges was a prolific translator, and had controversial views about the process of translating. Many translated works and translator characters feature, moreover, within his creative writing. This chapter starts with a review of Efraín Kristal's seminal work on Borges and translation, in which he analyses Borges's translation philosophy and the influence on his creative practices. Then follows a discussion of actual translations of Borges's work, by, for instance, James E. Irby, Alastair Reid, Andrew Hurley, Norman Thomas di Giovanni, and Kenneth Krabbenhoft, as well as an evaluation of differing translation styles. This leads into a discussion of Borges's interest in translation and in iconic figures associated with translation, with particular reference to Edward Fitzgerald and Robert Graves, for whom he had a special admiration. Subsequently there is the narration of particular examples of translation – false translation and back-translation – in which the author of this monograph was involved, plus an analysis of the case, which relates to a Borgesian translation and one of his fictions. Finally, there is an analysis of Borges's interest in the overlap between translation, false attribution, and creative writing.

Invisible Work: Borges and Translation, written by UCLA professor Efraín Kristal, has been a very influential book. It shows how Borges's work as a translator influenced his creative writing in fundamental ways; and it explores his original and sometimes daring views, which have fed into current debates within Translation Studies. Kristal's book has a wide range, including ‘Borges on Translation’, ‘Borges as Translator’, and ‘Translation in the Creative Process’. While the chapter titles divide his interest into three categories, Kristal shows how the three aspects are in fact profoundly interrelated. However, Kristal often refers to translations in contexts where another person might refer to intertextuality, allusion, quotation, or even plagiarism.

The boundaries in this sometimes controversial terminology, where one text relies on another, are fluid. Borges also had a relaxed attitude to the ‘collective project’ of improving another's work, as Kristal concedes: ‘It matters little to Borges that his views on translation may be a justification for plagiarism.’ Likewise, the boundaries between the definition of a literal translation or a creative version can be controversial.