Consider the nature of translating and interpreting and the role of culture when transferring meaning from one language to another
Elaborations
experimenting with literal translations of popular French expressions or idioms, noticing when this creates confusion (for example, être bien dans sa peau, dans son assiette, avoir le cafard, revenons à nos moutons) and recognising the nature and function of cultural elements of language and communication
finding examples of words, expressions and behaviours used in Australian English that do not translate literally into French (for example, ‘bush tucker’, ‘surf’s up’, ‘schoolies’), and providing cultural explanations for French speakers
experimenting with different resources to assist in translation, including monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, encyclopaedias, electronic dictionaries and translators, for example by comparing individual translations, back-translating, swapping useful references
considering the nature of translation, with reference to different strategies such as decoding literal meaning (word for word), reading for meaning (sense for sense) and cultural reading (between the lines)
interpreting gestures used by French speakers to signal meanings such as Parfait! J’ai du nez! c’est fini, comparing with gestures used in Australian English and other known languages, and incorporating some of them into own language production and communicative interactions to appropriate effect
recognising the need to sometimes recast language, and considering why one language may use more words than another to communicate a particular meaning, for example, Je vous prie, Monsieur, de croire à l’expression de mes sentiments distingués versus ‘Yours sincerely’
