Klaas Willems' aims with this article are twofold: firstly to study the relationship between pre-scientific language reflection and language science, secondly to define and describe the relationship between language, language science and a transcendental theory of knowledge. The problem of definition is essential and has as such nothing to do with hypotheses but with pre-scientific reflection. The author sketches his vision in a phenomenological framework based on Husserl. In the second paragraph the author considers the theoretical problems of the definition of translation, touching upon empirical paradigms and scepticism, transcendental phenomenology, intentionality and meaning. The third paragraph is dedicated to translatability versus untranslatability. The translator is viewed as a scientist, and translating is seen from the (linguistic) perspective of language as a universal means of communication. This paragraph is rounded off with the philosophical view on translation. In the conclusion the author explains why untranslatability is not a matter of translation, but of meta-translation or translation reflection.