The article considers the problem of translating a connotative vocabulary from German into Ukrainian, defines the concept of a connotation and its characteristic features, presents the main translation methods of and the motives for their use. The importance and complexity of achieving equivalence in the process of translating a connotative vocabulary has been substantiated. The contradictions, that have identified the linguistic problem of choosing a particular translation method to achieve a connotative equivalence, are identified. The theoretical foundations of the study are described. It has been established that the degree of the translation equivalence also depends on the extent to which the norms of the target language can be objectively observed in the translation. In this respect, the criteria for translation into the native language are naturally higher than the corresponding criteria for translation from the native language into the foreign one. It is noted that the connotation can accompany the semantics of the unit at all levels of the language and are actualized in the language by colouring the speech actions of a person, thus performing the specific function of the language. It is emphasized that one of the determining factors of an equivalent translation is the connotative equivalence, namely, the connotations that are used in the text by the nature of verbalisation. (In particular, through a specific choice between a synonymous or quasi-synonymous way of expressing expression), by style, sociolect and geographic dimension, frequency, etc. The main requirements that determine the communicative equivalence of a new text in relation to the original are presented, as well as the classification of connotative dimensions related to a translation, which help to classify connotative meanings. The research results are summarized and the prospects for further research are indicated.