The article provides an outlook into the future of the translating and interpreting profession in which Jack McWorld represents the prototypical professional translator at the turn of the century. The European colleagues of Jack McWorld find themselves in an area of tension between the globalization of the North American 'cultura franca' and the, for the greater part legitimate, positive cultural identity and tribalism, which could lead to a clash between cultural (national) identities. Jack McWorld's lingua franca is English, which has become the worldwide means of communication. Competences for translators and interpreters will include universal knowledge, flexibility and the ability to quickly identify and solve problems. Languages, however, remain the translator's basic material, even if the European translation and interpreting market will change because of the large number of languages. This will also have an effect on translator and interpreter training. Literary translation could become increasingly important in a globalized world, as the literature of a language and culture community is an expression of cultural identity.