This chapter establishes the theoretical framework for examining the relationship between modernity and translation. Challenging the notion of modernity as a universal historical progression, we reconceptualize it as a historically contingent, negotiated framework that must be adapted across diverse cultural contexts. We argue that modernity exists in a perpetual state of translation—a dynamic, contested process rather than a fixed entity. The chapter develops three key analytical axes: “modernity as translation” (modernity as a transformative process), “translation of modernity” (how modernity is adapted across cultural contexts), and “modernity in translation” (how different modernities interact and redefine each other through translation). These frameworks extend beyond linguistic transfer to encompass sociopolitical adaptation, cultural transformation, and epistemic shifts. By broadening translation’s scope, we interrogate how modernity emerges through negotiation between tradition and innovation, often shaped by asymmetrical power structures. This translational perspective offers a decolonial approach, moving beyond Eurocentric narratives to highlight the agency of non-Western intellectual traditions in shaping their own modernities. We draw on multiple intellectual traditions, including Arabic etymology, where ḥadātha (Arabic for modernity) connotes emergence rather than fixed historical progression, and the philosophical contributions of Taha Abderrahmane and Enrique Dussel. This highlights modernity as an open-ended process requiring creative reinterpretation rather than passive adoption. The volume’s distinctive contribution is conceptualizing modernity as both a product of translation and a process requiring translation—acknowledging its universalizing aspirations while recognizing its deeply situated, contested nature.