Encyclopedia WoT apparently thinks that the Book of Translation and the game of Match are the same thing. Go figure.

 

Anyway, not having my books to hand at the moment (and pretty sure there's no light that they can shed upon the matter) what IS the BoT? How can a book, when opened and (presumably) read take the Ogier off to another world? What world? How will they get back? When did they get here?

 

Does anyone know anything about this? I'm blank right now. Why do I DO this at this time of night (day actually)?

We don't know what the Book of Translations is, precisely. Someone suggested that it be a recording of the numbers of chaos, that Verin said those who made the portal stones knew---whatever that is. Others think its a ter'angreal... we just don't know.

 

If the Ogier left i doubt they would be coming back until the next turning of the wheel. As to when they got here, obviously sometime between the end of our age and the age of legends. I believe they came in to aid the Aes Sedai in healing the world after a war that ended our age and greatly scarred the earth... but again we dont know.