Composition, Translation and Applied Language Skills
What the exam tests
This domain tests controlled writing, precis, formal letters, editing and meaning-based translation. Accuracy in register and kinship terms matters more than word-for-word equivalence.
Composition rules
- State a clear thesis or purpose in the opening.
- Develop one idea per paragraph with examples or reasons.
- Use formal connectives and consistent honorifics.
- For a precis, retain the main claim and omit repetition, examples and decoration.
Translation strategy
- Read the whole sentence for function: request, report, question or proverb.
- Match register: formal, familiar or ritual.
- Choose kinship and honorific terms carefully; English “uncle” or “brother” may require a more specific Manipuri term.
- Check classifiers, postpositions and SOV order.
- Convert script consistently if the task requires Meitei Mayek or Bengali script.
Worked example
Translating “My uncle came” requires a decision before wording: is the uncle maternal or paternal, elder or younger than the parent? Manipuri kinship vocabulary is more specific than English. The reasoning is to identify the relationship first, then select the honorific and verb form, and only then arrange the clause in SOV order. A single literal equivalent is not enough.
Traps
Literal translation of idioms; flattening honorifics; using the wrong classifier; mixing scripts; and writing an essay without a controlling claim.