Translation: Into English and Into Spanish

Translation is tested in two of your papers, and the direction is different in each.

Paper	Direction	Marks
Paper 3 Reading (Section B)	Spanish → English	10
Paper 4 Writing	English → Spanish	10

Both are five sentences and both reward the same core skill: carrying meaning across accurately. The golden rule works in either direction. Translate the meaning, not word for word. Me llevo bien con mis amigos is I get on well with my friends, not the literal I carry myself well. Spanish and English build sentences differently, so a faithful translation often changes the word order while keeping the message exact.

For the Reading translation, each sentence is broken into chunks, and you earn a mark for every chunk whose meaning is conveyed. Natural English is accepted, so you do not need perfect phrasing, only the right idea.

Work through a genuine specimen sentence:

Me encantan las películas aunque pueden ser tontas.

Chunk	Translation
Me encantan las películas	I love films
aunque pueden ser tontas	although they can be silly

I love movies but they can be stupid would also score, because each chunk's meaning is there. Two things still matter: keep the tense (fuimos a Sudamérica is we went to South America, a past, not we go), and translate the whole sentence, since a missing chunk is a lost mark. Do not overthink style; convey the meaning plainly and move on.

For the Writing translation, you are marked on two things: how well the meaning of each element is rendered, and your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Work the meaning first, then check the grammar.

Three grammar points earn or lose the most marks:

• Tense and person. A verb in the wrong tense or person is not credited. He buys is compra, not compro (I buy); I went is fui (past), not voy (I go).
• Agreement. Adjectives match the noun in gender and number: fruta fresca (feminine), not fruta fresco; muchos amigos, not mucho amigos.
• Word order. Most adjectives come after the noun: un móvil nuevo, not un nuevo móvil.

Worked example:

I have lots of friends. → Tengo muchos amigos. We have just seen our new teacher. → Acabamos de ver a nuestro profesor nuevo.

Notice the personal a before nuestro profesor, and acabar de + infinitive for to have just done something.

(Higher tier — acabar de + infinitive is a Higher-only structure; Foundation students are not required to produce it.)

More marks are lost to the wrong tense than to any other single error, in both directions. The time markers in the sentence tell you which tense to use.

Time marker	Tense	Example
ayer, el año pasado	preterite (past)	fui, pasamos
normalmente, cada día	present or imperfect	como, jugaba
voy a, mañana, el año próximo	near future	voy a estudiar

Translate Voy a estudiar idiomas as I am going to study languages, never I study. Translate Hace dos años fuimos a Sudamérica with a past verb: Two years ago we went to South America. Going the other way, I used to play basketball needs the imperfect jugaba al baloncesto, while I played basketball yesterday needs the preterite jugué al baloncesto ayer. Read the whole sentence for its time frame before you commit to a verb.

Some Spanish words look like an English word but mean something else. Translating by appearance leads straight to a wrong answer.

Spanish	Actually means	Not
éxito	success	exit
embarazada	pregnant	embarrassed
actualmente	currently, nowadays	actually
sensible	sensitive	sensible
librería	bookshop	library (biblioteca)
ropa	clothes	rope

A few more pitfalls into Spanish:

• ser vs estar. Use ser for permanent traits (es alta) and estar for states and location (está cansada, está en casa).
• por vs para. Para often means for a purpose or in order to (para proteger el medio ambiente); por covers cause, exchange and through.
• Missing personal a. I see my friend is veo a mi amigo, not veo mi amigo.

1. Translating word for word

Spanish word order and idiom differ from English. Render the meaning, so me llevo bien con mis amigos becomes I get on well with my friends, not a literal string.

2. Changing the tense

A preterite must stay past and voy a must stay going to. In both directions a verb in the wrong tense loses its mark.

3. Forgetting agreement into Spanish

Adjectives match the noun: fruta fresca, muchos amigos, una casa pequeña. Mismatched gender or number is a grammar error.

4. Trusting false friends

Éxito is success, librería is a bookshop, actualmente is currently. Translate by meaning, not by how the word looks.

5. Dropping the personal a

When the object of a verb is a specific person, Spanish needs a: ver a nuestro profesor, veo a mi amigo. Leaving it out is a grammatical error.