This paper sets out to discuss the relations between the translation product, the source language and the target language. The basic assumption underlying the discussion is that two languages might differ from each other at the level of discourse structure in a given register, and that these differences might affect the choices made by the translator when translating in this register. The author aims to discuss the nature of these interlingual differences and to suggest some guidelines for a translation paradigm at discourse level which might be relevant for the production and the assessment of translations.