The dialectic between the evolution of language and "its use" by speakers is here discussed in order to highlight how the evolution of Arabic and that of Arabic knowledge and culture is inextricably linked with the role of translation into Arabic. The author concludes that knowledge alone, whether transferred from foreign or native thought, is not sufficient for Arabic to keep up with global civilization. If knowledge is not the means adopted by speakers of a language to create their own intellectual trends to circumscribe their culture and help build their identity, then transferred knowledge will remain hidden in books and not bear its expected fruits.