从实践角度看，在译者构建T2语言世界的遣词、造句、谋篇中，造句是关键。把句子作为翻译的一个基本单位已差不多成为共识。许多翻译家如傅雷、杨必、杨绛等的翻译实践为这一点提供了佐证。杨绛认为，翻译包括三件事：选字、造句、成章。字的翻译一般在句内完成，成章也要先有句子，遗词造句是关键。傅雷也特别重视造句这一环节。他认为短句的翻译难在传达原文的语气、情调与气氛，而长句的翻译难在重心的安排。要解决这两难，就应该依靠句法、多加句法的变化。在我们前文的讨论中，词的处理也是以其所处的句子为框架或背景来分析的，尽管很多情况下没有明确说明。词在句子之外难以 得到真正的描述。笔者认为，一般情况下，我们把句子视为翻译实际操作单位，这么说有两层含义，一是从理解角度讲的含义，二是从表达角度讲的含义。在翻译过程中，句子和文本是互动关系和分析一整合关系，以句子为翻译单位和以语篇为翻译单位并不矛盾，因为句子堆砌的组合体并非原文最终的T2。我们可以把这种以句子-句法处理为中心的语篇翻译策略归结为：逐句处理+句间衔接+整体加工。下面从美国小说家斯坦贝克（J. Steinbeck)的小说《罐头厂街》(Cannery Row) 第十五章摘取一段及其译文略作比较。

The frog pool was square—fifty feet wide and seventy feet long and four feet deep. Lush soft grass grew about its edge，and a little ditch brought the water from the river to it and from it little ditches went out to the orchards. There are frogs there all right，thousands of them. Their voices beat the night, they boomed and barked and croaked and rattled. They sang to the stars, to the waning moon, to the waving grasses. They bellowed love songs and challenges. The men crept through the darkness toward the pool. The captain carried a nearly-filled pitcher of whisky and every man had his own glass. The captain had found them flashlights that worked. Hughic and Jones carried gunny sacks. As they drew quietly near, the frogs heard them coming. The night had been roaring with frog song and then suddenly it was silent. Mack and the boys and the captain sat down on the ground to have one last short one and to map their campaign. And the plan was bold.

蛙塘是长方形的——50英尺宽，70英尺长，4英尺深。柔草葱翠，长满蛙塘四周；一条小沟把河水引进塘里； 蛙塘又岔出一些小沟，向果园而去。塘里确有青蛙，成千上万的青蛙。蛙声给黑夜打着节拍，有呜呜声，有哇哇声， 有呱呱声，有嘎嘎声。青蛙们对着星星、对着下弦月、对着随风摇摆的绿草歌唱。它们起劲儿地吼着，既有情歌，又有战歌。马克一伙在黑暗中摸向池塘。上尉提着一只大水罐，里面几乎装满了威士忌，各人带着自己的杯子。上尉还为他们找了几只好使的手电筒。休伊和琼斯背着麻袋。当他们悄悄走近塘边的时候，青蛙听到有人来了。整个夜晚青蛙歌声如雷，现在突然哑然无声。马克和小伙子们以及上尉席地而坐，来了个最后的少来点儿，然后制订作战计划。那计划够大胆的。（参考李玉陈先生的译文）