Learn French > skills
TRANSLATION SKILLS
|
How to improve your translation skills:
- When translating material in lessons, record your mistakes to review them later. They often reveal a faulty reasoning based on how your native language works, and you are likely to repeat them. - Study the common pitfalls and practise translating sentences which contain them. - When studying a grammar point, write down all the examples given in French and English. Put them aside and use them later as a translation exercise. - Pick a verb randomly in a big paper dictionary and write down all the examples given of its different uses. Put them aside to do the same as the above. - Pay attention to details in the sentence, particulary the tenses used, who or what the pronouns refer to, etc |
Practise translating :Grammar-based short texts to translate (IGCSE & A-Level/IB)
From the News: very short paragraphs to translate (A-Level/IB) Geo Ado on-line: News in English (translated little paragraphs)
Little translated texts from the press, click here
Common mistakes English > French:
a boarding house = un internat to look (appearance, mood) = avoir l'air a match (game) = un match to socialise = rencontrer / fréquenter des gens / bien s'entendre avec des gens facilities = des installations / des équipements / un systeme several / some people = plusieurs / certaines personnes to work (to function) = marcher, fonctionner actually = en fait eventually = finalement / un jour - finir par an argument = un argument (in a debate) / une dispute (a fight) to go for (a walk / a ride, etc) = faire (une promenade / de l'équitation, etc) relevant = pertinent - avoir un rapport avec reflection = la réflexion (deep thinking) / le reflet (result, evidence) to realise = comprendre a time (when) = un moment ability - la capacité I wish I had = j'aurais aimé to educate about = éduquer au sujet de dependEnce (English spelling) = dépendAnce (FrAnçais) I miss home = j'ai le mal du pays / la famille me manque to hear from = avoir des nouvelles de to hear of/about = entendre parler de it's been a long time since we last saw each other = cela fait longtemps qu'on ne s'est vu! what have you been up to? = Qu'as-tu fait récemment / ces derniers temps? You would like it = tu aimerais Mistakes French > English : Pay attention to context!
le règlement = "payment" or "set of rules" une entrée = "a starter" or "an input" (computer, data) actuellement = at the moment How to translate "prendre" For corrections, click here
|
Specific translation DIFFICULTIES:
How to translate TO FEEL
|
UNDER CONSTRUCTION:
to take to know to drive/cycle/fly somewhere to look (like) to have a good time to think to make it is necessary -ing form people passé composé or imparfait? place of prepositions false cognates bon ou bien? early both to mind to miss last/next may/might |