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Translating into English accurately

A good translation keeps every piece of meaning and sounds like natural English. Those two aims sometimes pull against each other.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Writing: Translate short written text from the foreign language into English, conveying meaning accurately

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Translate short written text from the foreign language into English, conveying meaning accurately

Key learning points

  • • Method
  • • Common traps
  • • Do not lose detail

This lesson at a glance

  • 20 minutes
  • 16 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

translatewrittenforeignlanguageenglish

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 16 · Discover6%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 16

Watch first

Translating into English accurately

An English teaching video on this topic from TrotaMontes MTB. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Translate short written text from the foreign language into English, conveying meaning accurately

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 16

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Method

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 16

Learn

Method

Read the whole text first. Identify the tense of each verb. Translate meaning, not word order. Then reread your English alone and ask whether a person would actually say it.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 16

Learn

Common traps

Reflexive verbs: me levanto is 'I get up', not 'I lift myself'. Negatives: no como nunca carne is 'I never eat meat', not a double negative in English. Idioms: tengo ganas de is 'I feel like'.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 16

Quick check

What does 'me levanto' mean?

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 16

Quick check

Translate 'no como nunca carne'.

7

Reset break

Part 7 of 16

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 16

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Do not lose detail

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 16

Learn

Do not lose detail

Adjectives, time phrases and qualifiers carry marks. 'Suelo desayunar bastante temprano' must include both 'usually' (suelo) and 'quite early'. Dropping a small word drops a mark.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 16

Quick check

Why keep small words like 'bastante'?

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 16

Quick check

What is the last step of a good translation?

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 16

Worked example

Worked example

'Normalmente desayuno cereales, pero los fines de semana mi padre prepara tortilla y comemos juntos. Me encanta porque no tenemos prisa.' → 'I normally have cereal for breakfast, but at weekends my dad makes an omelette and we eat together. I love it because we are not in a hurry.' Note 'desayuno' as one verb meaning 'have breakfast', and 'tener prisa' as 'be in a hurry'.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 16

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Challenge round

Part 14 of 16

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

____ meaning, not word order.

Then reread your ____ alone and ask whether a person would actually say it.

15

Mastery quiz

Part 15 of 16

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Translating into English accurately

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. Translate into English: 'Soupe de légumes maison.'

  2. 2. What does 'me levanto' mean?

  3. 3. Translate 'no como nunca carne'.

  4. 4. Why keep small words like 'bastante'?

16

Lesson round-up

Part 16 of 16

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

Une journée à Lyon

Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.

J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.

L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.

Original text written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
  2. Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
  3. Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.

  • Written practice

    Writing

    Write the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.

    8–10 sentences

  • Vocabulary page

    Working out

    Copy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.

    15 words

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover

How this is going

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    Translate short written text from the foreign language into English, conveying meaning accurately

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