Evasion or Rejection: Scoring an Idiomatic Translation
A 10-mark translation question asks candidates to render into Persian: 'उसने बात टाल दी और कहा कि वह कल आएगा।' (Urdu: 'اس نے بات ٹال دی اور کہا کہ وہ کل آئے گا۔') The marking scheme gives 4 marks for the idiomatic verb, 3 for tense and reported speech, and 3 for grammar. Candidate A writes: 'او سخن را رد کرد و گفت که او فردا خواهد آمد.' Candidate B writes: 'او از پاسخ طفره رفت و گفت که فردا خواهد آمد.' Candidate C writes: 'او حرف را تأخیر انداخت و گفت که او فردا میآید.' The teacher must score all three quickly. The class has been taught 'رد کردن' as 'to reject' and 'طفره رفتن' as 'to evade'. A parent has complained that B is 'too free' because it does not translate 'بات' as 'سخن'. The teacher must defend a consistent standard and decide whether C's 'تأخیر انداختن' is acceptable Persian collocation.
1. Score A, B, and C against the 4/3/3 scheme, showing the breakdown.
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B is the strongest, A is the weakest, C is middling.
- B: idiom 4/4 - 'از پاسخ طفره رفت' captures 'بات ٹالنا' as evasion, not rejection; tense/reported speech 3/3 - 'گفت که فردا خواهد آمد' keeps future and reported clause; grammar 3/3. Total 10/10, or 9/10 if the marker reserves full marks for style.
- A: idiom 1/4 - 'سخن را رد کرد' means 'rejected the speech/remark', which changes the act; tense 3/3; grammar 2/3 because 'او ... او' is ambiguous but acceptable. Total 6/10.
- C: idiom 2/4 - 'تأخیر انداخت' gestures at postponement but is not the standard collocation; tense 2/3 because 'میآید' can be read as habitual or future; grammar 2/3. Total 6-7/10.
2. How should the teacher answer the parent's objection that B is 'too free'?
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Explain that translation is judged by function, not word count. 'بات ٹالنا' is an idiom meaning to evade or put off a matter. A literal 'سخن را رد کردن' means to reject or deny a statement, which is a different act. B preserves the speaker's evasion and the reported promise. The parent is right that 'بات' is not 'پاسخ', but 'از پاسخ طفره رفت' is a natural Persian collocation for dodging an answer. If the teacher wants a closer noun, 'از سخن طفره رفت' is possible, but 'پاسخ' makes the context clearer. The standard should be: same illocutionary force, natural collocation, no added information.
3. Candidate C uses 'تأخیر انداختن'. Is it acceptable? What is the better Persian collocation?
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'تأخیر انداختن' is understandable but not the best collocation. Modern Persian prefers 'به تأخیر انداختن' or 'به تعویق انداختن'; 'موکول کردن به فردا' is also idiomatic. Without 'به', the phrase is loose and may be judged a grammar slip. Award partial idiom credit because the candidate grasped postponement, but do not treat it as equivalent to B. Feedback: 'Verb + preposition is part of the idiom; learn the whole phrase, not the noun.'