Popper (1945) argued that open societies, rooted in critical thinking and tolerance, oppose authoritarianism and safeguard individual freedoms. Foucault and Bourdieu later challenged this optimism, showing how so-called open societies also employ mechanisms to ‘discipline’ (Foucault) or ‘socialize’ (Bourdieu) individuals into serving power’s varying interests. These ideas influenced cultural translation scholars like Bassnett and Lefevere, who framed translation as a form of productive manipulation or ‘rewriting’ for authority or ‘patronage.’ Translation thus often acts as a gatekeeping force, challenging its assumed role in promoting openness. While critical approaches to open societies and translation highlight the openness they critique, authoritarian regimes can misuse these arguments to claim that open societies are no better than closed ones. This credit aims to stimulate research into translation’s role in shaping the openness or closedness of societies.