Techniques for developing lexical competences in teaching Italian for foreigners on advanced levels (B2–C2) Translation as a technique in foreign language teaching and learning has always had its followers and adversaries. Nowadays translation of a brief text is usually suggested at the end of a unit so as to consolidate the input offered during the previous lessons, but it can be also used as a technique to recall and put into practice single words in an easy and fast way. The teaching techniques presented in this article are based on associations between Italian words and also between the Italian language and the students’ mother tongue. The examples that we analyze enable us to consider translation as an effective way not only of fixing vocabulary items but also of drawing students’ attention to cultural differences between the two countries.