Lesson Four

Introduction:

With this lesson we begin Part Two of the course in which we’ll study some important grammar topics that will help us to translate more naturally and correctly. In this lesson we’ll focus on translating the present tenses from Spanish to English. This will include an analysis of the comparative grammar between the present simple and continuous forms in both languages and their different uses. We will also go over the use of the Spanish present simple tense with time expressions, which can sometimes cause confusion in translation. By focusing on grammar, our intention is to improve our ability to transfer the exact message of the source text into the target language in a way that reads easily and naturally.

Objectives:

After completing this lesson you will:

• Be able to successfully translate verbs in the present tense in a Spanish source text into the correct verb tense in an English translation.
• Understand differences in the continuous forms in both languages and be able to translate them correctly.
• Identify time expressions used with the present tense in Spanish and be able translate them in a way that sounds natural in English.

Key Topics:

Focus on Grammar: Translating the present tenses

4.1) Translating the Spanish present simple tense to English

  a) Verb tense review
  b) Chart - Uses of the Spanish present simple
  c) Explanation - Uses of the Spanish present simple

4.2) Comparative Grammar - the present continuous form in English and Spanish

4.3) Translating ‘time expressions with hacer’ in Spanish to English