In the tradition dominated by essentialism, translation has generally been regarded as a stubborn theoretical problem which defies the basic assumptions of most traditional disciplines. The fact that translation has been conquering a more defined space within language and cultural studies since the 1980s seems to be closely related to the dissemination of postmodern conceptions of meaning which have not only undermined the notion of the 'original' as a stable, objectively transferable entity, but have also proposed a radical revision of the traditional dichotomy that has always put practice under the alleged control of theory. As we regard translation as a form of transformation, we finally begin to move beyond the old stalemates which have paralyzed the reflection on the area for at least two thousand years.