Decoding transcreation in corporate website localization into Arabic

Abstract As adaptation is often associated with localization, and with the promotion of transcreation as an extra service in the industry, there is a need to analyze how and to what extent transcreation is used in localization as a type of target-culture-focused translation. This paper looks into adaptation and analyzes transcreation as a translation strategy. It investigates online promotional texts localized into Arabic (for Saudi Arabia) as an under-researched language in website localization. The analysis follows a functionalist approach and examines 15 international corporate websites. The results illustrate components of transcreated texts and shed light on the use of different procedures to achieve the creative persuasive purpose.