The opinion sections in newspapers have become ideal platforms for debating ideas where many intellectuals offer opinions on a wide range of subjects. These platforms are open both to Spanish intellectuals and to a growing number of influential international figures whose opinions are reaching a new readership through their translation in the Spanish press. The present article aims to study how translation operates in the opinion sections in the Spanish press, how it is used and with what aims. For this purpose, we have focused on a newspaper with a wide readership, the Spanish daily El País, and its position with respect to an event with global repercussions, namely, the so-called Arab Spring, i.e. the Arab Rebellions, which started in January 2011. By using a descriptive method, we analyse the use that a specific communication enterprise gives to translation with the aim of establishing its agenda, determining the guidelines it follows and its influence on the target culture.