The aim of this paper is to show the important role played by lexical choices in translation, considered not only as a means of rendering a direct equivalent in the target language, but also a means of manipulation motivated by the target reader's demands. The authors will present the new conception of the lexicon provided by the Functional-Lexematic Model in order to analyze, later, the advantages of this model for the study of lexical choices in translation. In analyzing different translations from this point of view, the authors will concentrate on the lexical field of obscenity.