Paper 1: Translation into English, reading comprehension and writing (research question) in Persian — Edexcel A-Level Persian
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Paper 1: Translation into English, reading comprehension and writing (research question) in Persian explained
This task requires you to render a Persian passage into accurate, natural English.
Read the full explanation
Read the whole passage first to establish its topic, register and time frame, then work sentence by sentence, identifying the main verb and its subject before dealing with modifiers. Convey meaning rather than word-for-word equivalence: Persian verb-final order, ezafe constructions and impersonal phrasing often need restructuring in English. Keep proper nouns, dates and figures faithful, and preserve the tone of the original, whether formal reportage or narrative. Where a Persian idiom has no literal English equivalent, give its sense. Check afterwards that no clause has been dropped and that the English reads as continuous prose.
Your focus
- Translate a Persian passage into English conveying the full meaning accurately.
- Produce fluent, idiomatic English that preserves the register of the source.
- Render names, figures and culture-specific terms faithfully.
Paper 1: Translation into English, reading comprehension and writing (research question) in Persian exam tips
Marking Points
- Accurate transfer of the core meaning of each sentence, with no omission or addition of information.
- Correct handling of Persian grammar features such as ezafe linking, verb-final order and impersonal constructions when recast in English.
- Faithful rendering of names, numbers, dates and technical or culture-specific terms.
- Appropriate English register and idiom that matches the tone of the Persian source.
- Coherent, connected English prose rather than a gloss or interlinear translation.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Read the entire passage once for gist before writing any English.
- 💡Draft your translation, then reread it as English prose to catch awkward phrasing.
- 💡Check every proper noun, number and date against the original before finishing.
Common Mistakes
- Translating word for word and producing unnatural English: the correction is to identify the meaning unit first and then express it in idiomatic English.
- Missing or misreading the ezafe link, so that a modifier is attached to the wrong noun: the correction is to parse each noun phrase carefully before translating.
- Leaving out a clause or sentence when the Persian is long: the correction is to number the clauses and tick each one off after translating.
- Shifting the tense or time frame of the passage: the correction is to note time markers and keep the English tense consistent with them.