The present article discusses the need for a folkloristic theory of translation. According to the author a theory of folkloristic translation must fulfil a number of functions and deal with certain issues brought to the fore by the nature of the folklore text itself. At the most general level, it must be a theory for the translation of performance that takes into account the double oral/literate articulation and its possible effect on translation. Hence in exploring the notion of the folklore text we will interrogate the place of textuality in the theory of translation. Given also that the language of oral performance, particularly in Arabic, belongs to a different variety from the written language, an analysis of language in translation must also enter the picture. Further, since all folklore texts, oral or written, are ethnographically saturated, this theory must also shed light on the question of culture in translation from the perspectives of cultural anthropology as well as translation studies.