The aim of this paper is to discuss the translations of labels for national stereotypes in Polish, English, German and Italian. The possible translations are analysed from the perspectives of sign/form- and sense-oriented approaches as outlined by Loerscher (1992). It is argued that many labels for national stereotypes are borrowings from the languages of the stereotyped nations. This fact must be taken into account if their translations are to be sense-oriented, and therefore correct, since the translated lexemes are not labels in the languages from which they are borrowed and into which they are again translated.