Translation and Functional English
Translation and Functional English tests your ability to move meaning between Hindi and English and to write short real-world texts: notices, messages, dialogues and directions.
Translation
- Translate meaning, not words. Hindi puts the verb at the end; English needs subject + verb + object order.
- Keep tense and number: 'मैं कल स्कूल जाऊँगा' = 'I will go to school tomorrow' (future, singular).
- Add articles and prepositions that Hindi may leave implicit: 'वह अस्पताल गया' = 'He went to the hospital'.
- Idioms need equivalents, not literal renderings: 'आँखों का तारा' = 'the apple of one's eye', not 'star of the eyes'.
- Read the Hindi sentence twice and identify the main verb first.
Functional writing
- Notice: name of institution, date, heading, body, signature. Keep it under the word limit.
- Message: receiver, content, sender, time; informal but clear.
- Dialogue: one speaker per line, polite forms, no unnecessary narration.
- Directions/process: use imperatives ('Turn left at the post office') or present simple passive ('The mixture is stirred').
Worked example
Hindi: 'मैं कल स्कूल जाऊँगा।' Reasoning: 'मैं' = I (subject); 'कल' = tomorrow (future context); 'स्कूल' = school; 'जाऊँगा' = will go. English order: I + will go + to school + tomorrow. Answer: 'I will go to school tomorrow.' The preposition 'to' is obligatory before 'school' here.
Traps
Word-for-word translation of idioms; omitting 'the' or 'to'; using present tense for a future Hindi sentence; writing a notice without a date or signature; mixing dialogue and narrative in a message.