In this lecture Derrida addresses the potential social effects of translation strategies by examining the concept of relevance. For Derrida, the relevant translation is mystifying. Although critical of this mystification, Derrida sees it as inevitable insofar as every translation participates in an “economy of in-betweenness”. His lecture presents two practical applications of this thinking, both involving the French word ‘relève’. One is Derrida’s own use of the word to render the Hegelian term ‘Aufhebung’. In his philosophical lexicon, ‘relève’ highlights the contradiction in Hegel’s dialectics. The other application hinges on his interpretation of The Merchant of Venice and the translation of Portia’s line “when mercy seasons justice”. Derrida uses "relève" to render “seasons” to suggest that in her translating of Shylock’s demands for justice she seeks an optimal relevance to the Christian doctrine of mercy. When relevant translation occurs within an institution like the state, it can become the instrument of legal interdiction, economic sanction, and political repression, motivated here by racism.