9D El examen: El diálogo

D. El diálogo

La traducción HIGHER

Translating a dialogue is an option on the Higher Level exam. Students must choose between the translation and writing a formal letter. This section of the exam is worth 30 marks. The translation involves translating five ‘turns’ and each turn is marked out of 6. Here are some tips to help you maximise your score: • Read the parts of the dialogue that are already in Spanish – it can sometimes give you useful vocabulary for your translation. • Try not to translate word for word, but rather think of how the idea would be expressed in Spanish. Think of how you would translate ‘I’m eighteen’ or ‘Peter likes strawberries’. You wouldn’t directly translate word for word! Tengo dieciocho años. A Pedro le gustan las fresas. • Never leave anything blank in the translation. If you can’t think of exactly how to say something, think of another way of expressing the same idea. Remember: there are many ways to say the same thing, so don’t get stuck on a particular word – try to think of a synonym or a way to rephrase the sentence. Look at how the following examples express exactly the same ideas: The book is on the sofa in the living room. The book is on the couch in the sitting room. Los fines de semana practico deporte. Hago deporte los sábados y los domingos. • When you’re finished, read over your translation carefully. Check verb tenses, gender of nouns and agreement of adjectives and make sure to check for the subjunctive – there is usually at least one in the dialogue.

Sample dialogue (Leaving Certificate Higher Level 2018):

You have returned to Ireland after three weeks on a student exchange in Valencia. You meet your Spanish friend Juan. Complete in Spanish your side of the following DIALOGUE. Juan: ¿Qué tal te ha ido? Tú: Explain that you arrived home late last night. You are still very tired, as the flight was delayed and your bags are still in Spain. Llegué a casa anoche. Todavía estoy muy cansado porque el vuelo llegó con retraso y mis maletas aún están en España. Juan: ¿Qué te ha parecido Valencia? Tú: Tell him that you really enjoyed your stay with your exchange student Esteban. Valencia has fantastic buildings and beautiful public parks. You love the Spanish way of life. Disfruté mucho de mi estancia con mi estudiante de intercambio Esteban. Valencia tiene edificios fantásticos y bonitos parques públicos. Me encanta el estilo de vida español.

Juan: ¿Por qué te gusta tanto? Tú: There is a great atmosphere in the city centre because the streets are always full of people. The food is very tasty, in particular the fresh fruit and the seafood paella. Hay un gran ambiente en el centro de la ciudad porque las calles están siempre llenas de gente. La comida es muy rica, sobre todo la fruta fresca y la paella de marisco. Juan: ¿Tuviste la oportunidad de asistir al instituto con Esteban? Tú: Yes. Explain that you liked the school because there are more subjects and every class lasts an hour. However, they do very little sport. It’s a disaster! Sí. Me gustó el instituto porque hay más asignaturas y cada clase dura una hora. Sin embargo, hacen muy poco deporte. ¡Es un desastre! Juan: Parece que fue una buena experiencia para ti, ¿no? Tú: Definitely. If you had enough money, you would return again next year. You would like to improve your Spanish, as your dream is to work in a Spanish-speaking country in the future. Claro que sí. Si tuviera el dinero suficiente volvería el año que viene. Me gustaría seguir mejorando el español porque mi sueño es trabajar en un país hispanohablante en el futuro.

D.1 ¡Respuesta equivocada! Corrige los errores de estas traducciones.

1. I’m very cold. Estoy muy frío. 2. What time is it? ¿Qué tiempo es? 3. She loves playing hockey. Se encanta jugando al hockey. 4. They went on holiday. Fueron en vacacion. 5. I’ve played tennis for two years. He jugado el tenis desde hace dos años. 6. He’s looking for a good job. Está buscando por un empleo bueno. 7. I see her sister. Veo su hermana. 8. They were playing the piano. Tocaron el piano. 9. We don’t understand the problem. No entiendemos la problema. 10. Do you go three times a week? ¿Vas tres tiempos para semana?

D.2 Traduce al español las siguientes frases.

1. Are you very hungry? 2. It is 3:45pm. 3. We love reading magazines. 4. She is on holiday in Spain. 5. I’ve been learning Spanish for six years. 6. Are you looking for something? 7. We’re going to visit our aunt. 8. I was listening to the radio. 9. The programme starts at 9:00pm. 10. For a child, he is very strong.

D.3 Completa el diálogo.

You have just arrived in Alicante to spend the summer with your Spanish friend Isabel and her family. Complete in Spanish your side of the following dialogue. Isabel: ¿Tienes hambre? Tú: Explain that you are not hungry because you ate a sandwich on the plane. You would like to go for a walk to see the town centre and maybe get some tapas later. Isabel: ¿Has probado las tapas antes? Tú: Tell her that you went to a tapas restaurant in Dublin with your Spanish class last year. You tried the cured ham, the meatballs and the prawns, but you have been vegetarian for six months. Isabel: ¿Vegetariano? ¿Por qué? Tú: Say you believe that it is not healthy to eat too much meat. You used to eat it every day and now you are trying to eat more fruit and vegetables. It’s not too difficult because your older sister is a vegetarian and she often makes vegetarian meals at home. Isabel: ¿Comes pescado? Tú: Yes, you love fish. Your favourite fish is cod. When you were a child you used to go fishing with your father in Howth. Last weekend you went to Howth with him to buy fish and chips for dinner. Delicious! Isabel: ¿Dónde está Howth? Tú: Howth is a small fishing village in north Dublin. It is a pretty little town that attracts lots of tourists. Tell Isabel you will bring her there in September. Ask her if she likes fishing.