This study looks into the challenges posed by the translation of texts containing linguistic variation and explores the different techniques that can be used to address those problems. To that end, we focus on a specific case: the translation of "A Confederacy of Dunces", by John Kennedy Toole. Upon a contextual analysis of the original text, which led to the identification of the difficulties that its translation entails, as well as of the function of the use of non-standard variations, we analyze the Spanish translation of three dialects of the novel. On the basis of the results obtained, we try to identify trends of translation and we ascertain if the dialects in the Spanish version have the same function as those in the original text.