The English conjunction if and its functional equivalents in Russian and in Bulgarian, which normally introduce conditional clauses, have a variety of other functions which may or may not be connected with their invariant meanings. The use of if in combination with the negative particle not and with the comparative connective as to introduce syntactic elements other than conditional clauses is characterised with a whole spectrum of funtional meanings, such as concession, gradation, implied suggestion, etc. These meanings and nuances of meaning, which sometimes pose real problems for the linguist, come to the surface in translations from and into English, Bulgarian and Russian. Interpretations and inter-language transformations involved in the process of translation play the role of semantic analysis and reveal functional peculiarities which are often overlooked in mono-lingual or even in contrastive grammars.