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A method for the French into English translation: chunk, translate meaning, get tenses right, avoid false friends and write natural English.
The translation from French into English is part of the reading paper. A short passage of several sentences is marked for each correct piece of meaning. You score by conveying every idea accurately: who, what, when, how many. You do not lose marks for slightly different but correct English, but you lose them for leaving out words or changing the meaning.
It is not a test of fancy English. It is a test of understanding French grammar and vocabulary. Write simple, natural English. Do not leave gaps: if you do not know a word, use the context to guess. Tap the words to hear them.
Read the whole passage once for the general idea. Then take one sentence at a time. Find the verb and the subject, then the time words and the little words (negatives, numbers, quantities). Translate chunk by chunk, then put the English together so that it reads naturally. Finally check that each word in the French has been given a meaning in the English.
Underline anything you did not translate. Look at the tense of every verb. Make sure you have not left out a negative («ne … pas»), a quantifier («beaucoup de»), a number or a time word. A common loss of marks is leaving out small words such as «très», «aussi», «déjà», «toujours».
Which translation is complete for "Elle n'a jamais mangé de viande" ?
She has never eaten meat. The sentence contains jamais (never), mangé (eaten) and viande (meat) in the perfect.
Translate by meaning, not by form. The perfect can be "I ate" or "I have eaten": «J'ai mangé» → "I ate" (finished past) or "I have eaten". The imperfect is "was" or "used to": «Je jouais» → "I played / I used to play / I was playing". The near future is "going to": «Je vais manger» → "I am going to eat". The future is "will": «Je mangerai» → "I will eat". The conditional is "would": «Je mangerais» → "I would eat".
Also: «venir de» → "has just": «Je viens de manger» → "I have just eaten". «Depuis» + present → "have been ... for": «J'habite ici depuis cinq ans». «Être en train de» → "to be in the middle of". «Il faut» → "you must" or "it is necessary". «Il y a» → "there is / there are" or "ago" with a time. The pluperfect «j'avais mangé» → "I had eaten".
«On» usually means "we", "people" or "you": «On mange à huit heures» → "We eat at eight". «En» plus participle → "while ...ing" or "by ...ing": «En marchant» → "while walking". «Après avoir» plus participle → "after ...ing": «Après avoir mangé» → "after eating". «Qui», «que» and «dont» → "who, that, which, whose": «Le livre que j'ai lu» → "the book (that) I read". The English can leave out "that".
Pronouns «y» and «en» become "there", "some", "of it": «J'y vais» → "I am going there", «J'en veux» → "I want some". Passives: «Le musée est visité par des touristes» → "The museum is visited by tourists". Subjunctive: «Il faut que tu viennes» → "You must come". «Bien que» → "although". «Je voudrais» → "I would like".
How do you translate "Après avoir mangé, nous sommes sortis"?
After eating, we went out. Après avoir plus participle means after ...ing, and the perfect is "went out".
Watch for words that look English but are not: «actuellement» (currently), «assister à» (to attend), «la librairie» (bookshop), «rester» (to stay), «sensible» (sensitive), «le car» (coach), «la monnaie» (change), «déçu» (disappointed). Idioms need meaning, not words: «J'ai faim» → "I am hungry", «J'ai chaud» → "I am hot", «Il y a du soleil» → "It is sunny". «Ça fait deux ans» → "It has been two years".
Write natural English: "I am fifteen", not "I have fifteen years"; "I like swimming", not "I like to swim" if the French says «j'aime nager» (both are fine). Do not translate «du pain» as "of the bread"; it is "some bread" or "bread". Keep sentence length the same as the French and keep the order of ideas.
Translate: «L'année dernière, mes parents et moi sommes allés à Nice en voiture. Il faisait très chaud, donc nous avons passé beaucoup de temps à la plage. Je n'ai pas aimé le voyage parce qu'il y avait trop de monde sur la route. L'été prochain, nous voudrions aller en Italie.»
Model: "Last year, my parents and I went to Nice by car. It was very hot, so we spent a lot of time at the beach. I did not like the journey because there were too many people on the road. Next summer, we would like to go to Italy." Check every part: last year, went, by car, was very hot, spent a lot of time, did not like, too many people, would like.
How is "il y avait trop de monde" best translated?
there were too many people Il y avait is there was or there were, and trop de monde is too many people.
Marks are lost for missing words (negatives, adverbs, quantities), wrong tenses, false friends and wrong subjects (he and she). Check each "il" and "elle": which person is it? Check singular and plural verbs: «ils jouent» is "they play". Check numbers: «quatre-vingts» is 80, «soixante-dix» is 70. Check small words: «très» (very), «aussi» (also), «toujours» (always).
Do not add information that is not there, and do not translate a word with two meanings both ways. Choose the one that fits. Leave no gap: write something sensible. A good test: read your English aloud. If it sounds odd, check the French again.
Use the full time: reading once, translating, checking. Keep to the order of the sentences. Write clearly. If you are not sure, write the most likely meaning rather than leaving a blank. On Higher papers, expect subjunctive, passives, pronouns and conditional sentences; recognise them and give the natural meaning.
Practise by translating a short text each week and then comparing it with a model. Mark every key idea. Learn the false friends and the set phrases. Remember that quantity, tense and negatives are the three most important checks.
What is the best way to deal with a word you do not know in the translation?
Use context and cognates to give a sensible guess. A sensible guess may earn the mark; a blank never does.
Translate into English: J'ai quinze ans et j'habite à Londres.
Answer: I am fifteen and I live in London.
Translate into English: Hier, je suis allé au cinéma avec mes amis et il y avait beaucoup de monde.
Answer: Yesterday I went to the cinema with my friends and there were a lot of people.
Translate into English: Quand j'étais petit, je jouais au foot tous les samedis, mais maintenant, je viens de commencer le rugby et je préférerais gagner plus de matchs.
Answer: When I was little, I used to play football every Saturday, but now I have just started rugby and I would prefer to win more matches.
Try each one, then open the answer.
Translate into English: Il fait chaud.
Answer: It is hot
Translate into English: J'ai faim.
Answer: I am hungry
Translate into English: Elle habite ici depuis deux ans.
Answer: She has lived here for two years
Translate into English: Je viens de finir.
Answer: I have just finished
Translate into English: Nous sommes allés à la plage et nous avons mangé des glaces.
Answer: We went to the beach and we ate ice creams
Translate into English: Il n'aime pas du tout le poisson.
Answer: He does not like fish at all
Translate into English: Quand j'étais jeune, j'allais souvent à la piscine.
Answer: When I was young, I often went to the swimming pool
Translate into English: Je voudrais visiter la France l'année prochaine.
Answer: I would like to visit France next year
Translate into English: Après avoir fini mes devoirs, je suis sorti en courant.
Answer: After finishing my homework, I went out running
Translate into English: Le film dont tout le monde parle sera projeté demain soir.
Answer: The film everybody is talking about will be shown tomorrow evening
Translate into English: Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu hier.
Answer: If I had known, I would not have come yesterday
Translate into English: Bien qu'elle soit fatiguée, elle a décidé de continuer à travailler.
Answer: Although she is tired, she decided to carry on working
Longer tasks with the marking points. These are Yumio practice questions.
Translate into English: J'ai quinze ans. Hier, je suis allé au cinéma. Il y avait beaucoup de monde. [5 marks]
Answer: I am fifteen. Yesterday I went to the cinema. There were a lot of people.
Translate into English: Quand j'étais petit, nous habitions près de la mer. Depuis cinq ans, nous vivons en ville, bien que ma mère préférerait retourner à la campagne. [6 marks]
Answer: When I was little, we lived near the sea. For five years, we have lived in town, although my mother would prefer to go back to the countryside.
I have fifteen years
Translate meaning: I am fifteen.
He comes from leaving
Venir de means has just: he has just left.
I am here since three years
Use have been here for three years.
actuellement = actually
It means currently.
Leaving out jamais
Translate every negative: never.
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