In this article the author deals with the problems in developing theories of translation and their shortcomings, and states that there can be no general theory of translation because there is neither a widely accepted theory of language nor an adequate theory of culture, of which language is an integral part. A clear distinction must be made between the act of translating and the analytical study of the processes involved in translating. Talk about the process of translation, a handicap in finding a fully adequate theory of translating is the fact that there is no widely acceptable theory of language that covers not only the structure of the language (linguistics proper) but also the uses of language (sociolinguistics). Such a theory of language must be descriptive, not prescriptive, and it must include a wide range of variants, including, of course, the creative figurative use that constitutes the growing edge of language.