This paper deals with the question of translatability or untranslatability, an issue which only aroused interest at the end of the 19th century. The article analyses some problems of untranslatability suggested by Sapir and Whorf. However, the author thinks that such examples cannot constitute a theory of untranslatability, since they are exceptions in linguistic communication, and considers them rather like translation difficulties which can be overcome. On the contrary, the author shows the existence of universals of language and of human experience which allow the possibility of translation to a certain extent. Through the analysis of the different possibilities for the translation of metaphors, the author intends to generalise on the limits of translation.