Creativity translational shifts as dynamic construals of meaning

If creativity in general is an elusive concept in cognitive science literature, it is twice as problematic in the context of translation. It was not until the 1990s that “translational creativity” was systematically investigated. Several scholars have attempted to describe and explain translational creativity in terms of cognitive linguistics, focusing on some cognitive models to the detrimental disregard of others. The present study offers a view of translational creativity based on the dynamic construal of meaning and the classification of construal operations as presented by William Croft & D. Alan Cruse (2004) . It demonstrates how this approach helps better describe “creativity shifts” without excluding any equally important construal processes. This study explores creativity in Translation Studies. It examines existing models, explains the dynamic construal of meaning in relation to translation, then uses advertising slogans to demonstrate how creativity can be analyzed in Arabic translations.