E6 E - Choose what not to translate
aiMOOCE6 E - Choose what not to translate
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E6 E - Choose what not to translate
Mini-Beschreibung: Decide what your listener really needs. In mediation, you do not translate every word. You choose relevant information, leave out side details and explain things that may be unclear.
Level: English as a first foreign language, class 6, E-level, Baden-Württemberg.
Learning path: Notice → understand → practise → use → feedback → use again.
Media start: What matters?
Look at the pictures. Imagine: A German friend is with you in the UK and asks for help. What information would you pass on?
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Quick thought: You probably do not need every word on every sign. First ask: What does my friend want to know?
Listen and watch: Which words help when someone needs directions? On a second viewing, focus only on information that answers a clear question.
I can
- I can find the information that another person needs.
- I can leave out details that are not important for the task.
- I can explain a word or idea in simple English or German when needed.
- I can mediate the meaning without translating word for word.
- I can check whether my message is clear for the listener.
What do you already know?
Try English first.
- A friend asks: “When does the shop close?” What do you look for first?
- A poster has ten facts, but your friend asks only about the price. How many facts do you need?
- What can you do if you do not know one English word?
- Is a good mediation always a full translation?
Hint: Think about purpose, listener and key information.
Deutsch-Hilfe: Bei einer Sprachmittlung geht es darum, die passende Information für eine bestimmte Person und Situation weiterzugeben.
The key idea: Choose
In mediation, your job is not “translate everything”. Your job is “help this person understand what matters”.
| Choice | Ask yourself | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Must share | Does the listener need this to act or decide? | time, place, price, rule |
| Can skip | Is this only an extra detail? | colour of a poster, a long description |
| Needs explanation | Could this idea be unclear in the other language or culture? | a special school term or local custom |
Rule of thumb: Purpose first. Details second.
Notice → understand → select
Use three questions:
- Who? Who needs the information?
- Why? What does this person want to know or do?
- Which facts? Which facts answer that need?
A real timetable can contain many numbers and details. If someone asks only, “When is the next bus?”, you select the next useful departure information. You do not read out the whole display.
Practice input: Riverside Youth Day
Fictional practice text:
Riverside Youth Day is for young people aged 10–13. It is on Saturday from 10:30 am to 3 pm. Meet at the West Gate. Entry is £5 and includes one drink. Bring a rain jacket. Book by Friday. There is live music in the afternoon. The event poster is green.
Your German cousin asks:
„Kann ich mitkommen? Wann und wo treffen wir uns? Was muss ich mitbringen?“
Try English first: Pick only the information your cousin needs.
Hint: Look for age, time, meeting place and one thing to bring.
Deutsch-Hilfe: Du brauchst nicht Preis, Musik und Posterfarbe, weil danach nicht gefragt wurde.
Example start: „Ja, das ist für 10- bis 13-Jährige. Wir treffen uns …“
Solution: „Ja, du kannst mitkommen, wenn du 10 bis 13 Jahre alt bist. Wir treffen uns am Samstag um 10:30 Uhr am West Gate. Du sollst eine Regenjacke mitbringen.“
Why details can be left out
Leaving out information is not careless if the information is irrelevant to the task. Good mediation is selective.
Compare:
Too much: You repeat the whole poster, including music, poster colour and every extra fact.
Better: You answer the listener’s question clearly and add only a short explanation if it helps.
When should you explain?
Sometimes a direct word is not enough. Then explain briefly.
Example: Your English-speaking guest does not know what “Nikolaustag” is.
Try English first: Explain it in one or two simple sentences.
Hint: Say when it happens and what children often do.
Deutsch-Hilfe: Du musst nicht jedes kulturelle Detail nennen.
Example: “It is a tradition in December. Children may get small sweets or gifts.”
The aim is understanding, not a perfect dictionary definition.
Vocabulary in context
| Word or phrase | Simple meaning | Useful sentence |
|---|---|---|
| relevant | important for this task | This time is relevant. |
| side detail | extra information | The poster colour is a side detail. |
| audience | the person or group you speak to | Think about your audience. |
| purpose | what the listener wants to know or do | Check the purpose first. |
| explain | make something easier to understand | I can explain the word. |
| paraphrase | say the idea with other words | I can paraphrase if I forget a word. |
Pronunciation: Clear is the goal
Say these words slowly, then in a short sentence:
- information – stress the third syllable.
- relevant – stress the first syllable.
- explain – stress the second syllable.
- audience – keep the word smooth and clear.
Speaking goal: Be understandable. You do not need to sound like a native speaker.
You may practise with a partner. A recording is optional and should stay private unless you choose otherwise.
Listen for useful information
Task: Watch part of the video. Imagine your German friend asks only: “What places can I find in the town?” Note only information that answers this question.
Challenge: Tell your friend the useful points in German without translating every sentence.
Speaking: Be the mediator
Partner A reads the English message:
“The sports centre opens at nine. The swimming pool is closed today. The café is open. A family ticket costs twelve pounds. The walls are blue.”
Partner B asks in German:
„Kann ich heute schwimmen? Und können wir dort etwas essen?“
Try English first: Decide what matters before you speak.
Hint: One fact answers the swimming question. One fact answers the food question.
Deutsch-Hilfe: Öffnungszeit, Ticketpreis und Wandfarbe sind für diese zwei Fragen nicht nötig.
Possible solution: „Heute könnt ihr dort nicht schwimmen, weil das Schwimmbad geschlossen ist. Das Café ist aber geöffnet.“
Switch roles and make a new question.
Reading: Scan, do not translate
Read this fictional notice:
CITY BIKE DAY – Sunday, 11 am–4 pm. Free bike check. Helmets required for the skills course. Bring your own bike. Snacks available. Best decorated bike wins a small prize.
Your friend asks:
„Was muss ich für den Geschicklichkeitskurs mitbringen?“
Answer: Your own bike and a helmet.
The snack information and the prize are not needed for this question.
Short writing output
Write 3–5 connected sentences in English for this situation:
A new pupil speaks English. The German class notice says: “Treffpunkt 8:10 Uhr vor der Sporthalle. Bitte Sportschuhe, Trinkflasche und 2 Euro mitbringen. Der Bus fährt um 8:20 Uhr. Rückkehr gegen 13 Uhr.”
Your English-speaking classmate asks only:
“When and where do we meet, and what should I bring?”
Hint: Select meeting time, place and things to bring.
German help: Die Busabfahrt und Rückkehrzeit sind hier Zusatzinformationen.
Example: “We meet at 8:10 in front of the sports hall. Please bring sports shoes, a water bottle and two euros.”
Now change the wording so it sounds natural to you.
Media challenge: Shopping
Imagine a German-speaking friend asks: „Wie kann ich nach einer kleineren Größe fragen?“
Listen for one useful phrase. You do not need to retell the whole video.
Strategy when a word is missing
Do not stop because one word is missing.
- Use a simpler word.
- Describe the thing.
- Give an example.
- Use a gesture in a face-to-face conversation.
- Ask a short clarification question.
Example: You forget “timetable”. You can say: “the list with the bus times”.
Feedback: Check your mediation
After speaking or writing, ask:
- Did I answer the real question?
- Did I include the important facts?
- Did I leave out details that do not help?
- Did I explain anything that might be unclear?
- Is my message easy to understand?
Peer feedback can be simple:
Two clear points + one next step.
Example: “Your time and place were clear. Next time, leave out the poster colour.”
Use again: New situation
Look again at the café menu.
Your friend asks: „Gibt es etwas Kleines zu essen und was kostet es ungefähr?“
Do not translate the full menu. Find one or two suitable items and mediate only the useful information you can identify.
Safe and responsible learning
Use fictional names and personal data in class tasks. Do not upload private recordings unless a teacher has planned this and you want to take part. If you use an AI tool in a permitted learning setting, check its result and formulate the final mediation yourself. Do not send personal data to external tools.
Can-do check
Mark each sentence for yourself: yes / almost / not yet.
- I can decide what information is relevant.
- I can leave out side details on purpose.
- I can explain an unclear idea simply.
- I can mediate for a specific listener.
- I can speak or write a short connected message with less support.
If you marked “almost” or “not yet”, repeat the Riverside Youth Day task with a different question.
Next course: E6 E - Mediate for your audience
Interaktive Aufgaben
Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen
What is the main goal of mediation? (To pass on the meaning needed by the listener) (!To translate every word) (!To use the longest possible sentences) (!To explain every detail)
What should you ask first? (What does the listener need to know) (!How many words are in the text) (!Which sentence is the longest) (!Which word looks most difficult)
Your friend asks only for the meeting time. What is most relevant? (The meeting time) (!The poster colour) (!The name of the designer) (!The length of the full notice)
Which detail can often be left out when it does not help the task? (A decorative side detail) (!A safety rule) (!The place you must meet) (!The price when someone asks the cost)
What can you do with a culture-specific idea? (Explain it briefly if the listener needs help) (!Always ignore it) (!Translate every word literally) (!Change it into a different fact)
What is a useful strategy when you forget one word? (Paraphrase with simple words) (!Stop the whole mediation) (!Invent a new fact) (!Read every sentence again)
Who is the audience? (The person or group receiving your message) (!The author of a dictionary) (!The longest paragraph) (!The grammar rule in the text)
Which sentence describes good selection? (I choose facts that answer the listener’s question) (!I copy all details) (!I add facts that were not in the source) (!I always give a full translation)
What should you do before you finish? (Check whether your message is clear) (!Add as many details as possible) (!Change the original facts) (!Use difficult words on purpose)
What matters more than a perfect accent in this course? (Being understandable) (!Sounding exactly like one native speaker) (!Speaking as fast as possible) (!Avoiding all pauses)
Memory
| Relevant information | Needed for the listener’s task |
| Side detail | Extra information that may be skipped |
| Audience | Person or group receiving the message |
| Purpose | Reason for the mediation |
| Paraphrase | Say the idea with other words |
| Culture-specific idea | May need a short explanation |
Drag and Drop
| Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu. | Thema |
|---|---|
| Meeting time | Share it when someone asks when |
| Poster colour | Leave it out when it does not help |
| Local custom | Explain it briefly when needed |
| Ticket price | Share it when someone asks the cost |
| Unknown word | Paraphrase it with simpler language |
Kreuzworträtsel
| Audience | Who receives your mediated message? |
| Relevant | What word means important for the current task? |
| Context | What helps you understand why information is needed? |
| Explain | What can you do when an idea may be unclear? |
| Select | What do you do with the useful facts before mediating? |
| Paraphrase | What can you do when you cannot remember an exact word? |
LearningApps
Lückentext
Offene Aufgaben
Leicht
- Key facts: Take a short English notice and highlight only three facts that answer a given question.
- Side details: Write five facts about a fictional event and mark two that could be left out for one specific listener.
- Simple explanation: Explain one school word such as “AG” to an English-speaking pupil in one or two easy sentences.
- Clear speaking: Mediate a two-sentence message to a partner. Focus on understandable speech, not accent.
Standard
- Menu mediation: Use a free English menu image and help a fictional friend choose one suitable item without translating the whole menu.
- Travel question: Create a short bus or train notice and mediate only the details needed for one journey question.
- Change the audience: Mediate the same notice once for a classmate and once for a parent. Compare what you include.
- Mini dialogue: Perform a short mediation dialogue with three roles: English speaker, German speaker and mediator.
Schwer
- Information filter: Create an eight-fact event notice and write three different questions that each require a different selection of facts.
- Explain culture: Choose a familiar German school or holiday tradition and explain only the details an English-speaking visitor needs.
- Mediation presentation: Give a one-minute presentation showing how purpose changes what you select from the same source.
- Media check: Compare your own mediation with an AI-generated or dictionary-supported version only if your school allows it. Identify unnecessary details and rewrite the final version in your own words without sharing personal data.
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Lernkontrolle
- Purpose first: You receive a six-fact notice and three different listener questions. Decide which facts belong in each mediation and justify your choices.
- Less can be better: Compare a full translation with a short mediation. Explain why the shorter version may help the listener more.
- Audience change: Rewrite one mediation for a younger child and for an adult visitor. Explain what you changed and why.
- Explain or skip: Decide whether a culture-specific detail should be explained, translated briefly or left out in three situations.
- Repair strategy: Show two ways to continue a mediation when you do not know an exact English word.
Lernnachweis
For a successful learning record, you should be able to show that you can:
- identify the audience and purpose,
- select relevant information,
- leave out irrelevant details deliberately,
- explain culture-specific or unclear ideas when needed,
- use paraphrasing as a repair strategy,
- produce a short understandable spoken or written mediation,
- check and improve your own result after feedback.
A useful learning record can be a short written mediation plus a brief reflection: What did I include, what did I leave out, and why?
OERs zum Thema
For background on language learning and communicative language use:
The official Baden-Württemberg curriculum for English as a first foreign language in classes 5/6 includes mediation as part of functional communicative competence. At E-level, learners mediate heard or read information appropriately between English and German and use simple compensation strategies when needed.
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