This book is based on the principle that it is possible to create a text using the writings of an author, focusing on a theme that was not necessarily considered as fundamental or central in the original author's view. Lotman has never dealt with translation, meant as a professional practice. However, he has often used the word perevod [translation] and its derivatives to talk about semiotics. In other words, he used the notion of "translation" to explain certain dynamics of culture and semiosphere.