It may seem strange to mention creativity in connection with translation when everyone knows the extent to which its secondary nature has been repeatedly stressed. But translation as a matter of fact requires such skillful handling of the target material that the translator can be considered as a creator in the full sense of the term. It is this treatment of linguistic material with a view to the creation of forms which is explored in the present article, and this involves a reassessment of the structuring of equivalence within the theoretical frame of the unit of translation.