The translation of literature demands more than simple word substitution because it requires both cultural adaptation and interpretive efforts. This paper investigates the translation of Arabic cultural elements into English by applying Anthony Pym’s (2007) binary model of direct (or unidirectional) and natural (or bidirectional) equivalence. The study evaluates translation approaches for cultural references as well as idioms and context-specific meanings by examining excerpts from the Algerian author Musteghanemi's novel Dhākirat Al-Jasad (The Bridges of Constantine), which is considered one of the best-selling novels in the Arab world since its release in 1993. Through a comparative textual analysis, cultural references with their translation are identified, focusing exclusively on specific textual excerpts with meaningful cultural content. The study categorizes translation choices based on Pym’s theoretical framework to expose the translator’s approach to maintaining source text faithfulness and reliability while making the target text more readable. Findings show how precisely unidirectional equivalence or bidirectional equivalence affects accuracy, together with the effectiveness of cultural translation procedures. The contributions to the field of translation studies include documenting multifaceted aspects of literary translation from Arabic into English, especially in texts of profound historical and cultural value.