The basic starting point of this study is the acknowledgement of translation as a historically determined human endeavour. The paper focuses on what is, to the author, one of the most troublesome translation problems – the specific cultural items (SCI), which follow from one of the basic anisomorphisms to be overcome in translation: intercultural differences. The paper is divided into four parts. First, there is a discussion on the changing nature and the double tension to which it is subject. Then, the author considers SCIs as a result of intercultural differences. The third section is an attempt to construct a competence model which includes all possible translation strategies for SCIs with a view to classifying them according to the degree of intercultural manipulation involved. Finally, the author tries to define his research methodology.