The concept of multidisciplinarity is rejected, whereas a common ground for all perspectives of study of translation and interpreting is defended, the main point of which are that (a) translation theories need to be general; and (b) that translating and translations are social institutions, defined as complex communicative events where three parties use at least two different languages. The basic scope cannot be an intercultural approach since many intercultural approaches are not well-defined and tend to generate abusive generalizations, and it cannot be an interlinguistic approach either, since interlinguistic approaches tend to underrate the object of study. A third way, based on Lakoff and Johnson's experientialism, is suggested.