This study establishes that the diversity in Arabic translations of the French pronoun on results from the multiple discursive values that this pronoun has due to its polysemy. Because on does not have a corresponding pronoun in Arabic, and it being essentially a third-person pronoun, most translators tend to render on according to its referent in the context. A close look at on, however, through Gustave Guillaume’s psychomecanical perspective, reveals that this approach is not always appropriate. Therefore, this study proposes an alternative approach that aims at finding the potential meaning of on by employing the following criteria: verb, co-referential pronouns, and locative/temporal nouns. The study asserts that, by employing this approach, translators will be better equipped to distinguish between the linguistic sign and its referent.