Translation and Composition
What translation and composition test
Translation and Composition tests whether you can move meaning from Hindi into clear English and then organise your own ideas. Translation items are usually short sentences or a short passage. Composition may be a paragraph, an essay, or a guided task. Marks depend on accuracy, grammar, and coherence, not on long words.
Core rules
- Translate meaning, not word order. Find the subject, verb, and object first.
- Keep one tense per sentence unless the Hindi clearly changes time.
- Use simple sentence patterns: subject + verb + object, 'there is/are', and 'it is'.
- Add articles and prepositions that Hindi does not always show.
- For composition, plan three parts: opening, two or three supporting points, closing. Use linking words such as 'because', 'however', and 'therefore'.
Worked example
Hindi: 'मेरे विद्यालय में एक बड़ा पुस्तकालय है।' Reasoning: the Hindi pattern is locative: 'in my school' + 'a big library' + 'is'. English prefers 'There is a big library in my school.' Do not write 'In my school a big library is.' Add the article 'a' and the existential 'There is'. Hindi: 'यदि वर्षा होगी तो मैं नहीं जाऊँगा।' Reasoning: after 'if', English uses the present simple for future meaning: 'If it rains, I will not go.' Do not write 'If it will rain'.
Traps
Word-for-word translation; translating idioms literally; missing articles; shifting tense midway; writing a composition with no paragraph breaks; using Hindi punctuation patterns in English.
Key points
- Find subject, verb, and object first.
- Use 'there is/are' for existence.
- After 'if', use present simple for future.
- Plan composition in three parts.
- Check articles, tense, and spelling before finishing.