This article is a revised and updated version of the opening address to the first event of the Marie Curie conference series ‘Multidimensional Translation’ (MuTra) held on May 2nd, 2005 in Saarbrücken. It describes the concept and methodology of Multidimensional Translation as a research project proposed to and accepted for funding by the European Union. The EU’s financial support made it possible to develop the topic as described below and provide momentum to a research area in intercultural communication transfer which integrates the disparate subfields of audiovisual translation, audiodescription, theater translation, knowledge management & LSP translation and various types of interpreting within a framework of a common theoretical profile.