Once the function of a translation has been determined, there is still much thinking for the translator to be done. The original functional decision has consequences on all linguistic levels: the translation of words, the rendering of syntax and the coherence between sentences. In the present article the author tackles several translation problems on the semantic level, being the overlapping of meaning, a phenomenon called 'neutralization of semantic features' and lexical gaps. The author concludes with some consequences for the teaching of translation.