Worked example · MFL · Year 7
DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Communication
The glossary below is the full answer to the grid, so you can mark a set of these without speaking any of the four languages. The localised screen is in French; the Spanish equivalents and their character counts are listed underneath. Show it after pupils have attempted the grid.
| English | Français | Español | Cymraeg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save | enregistrer | guardar | cadw |
| Search | rechercher | buscar | chwilio |
| Settings | paramètres | ajustes | gosodiadau |
| Download | télécharger | descargar | lawrlwytho |
| Delete | supprimer | eliminar | dileu |
| Home | accueil | inicio | hafan |
| Back | retour | atrás | yn ôl |
| Attach a file | joindre un fichier | adjuntar un archivo | atodi ffeil |
| imprimer | imprimir | argraffu | |
| Refresh | actualiser | actualizar | adnewyddu |
| Share | partager | compartir | rhannu |
| Log out | se déconnecter | cerrar sesión | allgofnodi |
Accents to insist on: paramètres, télécharger, se déconnecter, atrás, cerrar sesión, yn ôl.
Evidences criteria 1 and 2: every entry names the action rather than the picture, and the six accented forms are correct.
| Trap | A secure answer |
|---|---|
| télécharger | French uses the same verb for moving a file in either direction, so the word alone does not tell you. You work it out from the arrow on the icon — pointing down into a tray means download — or from the more precise verb téléverser, which can only mean upload. |
| actualizar | They have fallen for a false friend. Actualizar looks like "actually" but means to update or refresh, which is exactly what the button does — so actualizar is right and en realidad ("actually") is the wrong half of the pair. |
| accueil | The house is a picture of the idea, not the idea. The button takes you to the starting screen, so French uses accueil (welcome, reception), Spanish uses inicio (start) and Welsh uses hafan. Maison would translate the drawing and leave the user guessing. |
Evidences criterion 3: each explanation is in the pupil's own words and says how you would decide, not just which answer is right.
| English | Français | Chars | Español (chars) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library | Bibliothèque | 12 | Biblioteca (10) |
| Search for a book | Rechercher un livre | 19 — the search field allows 24 | Buscar un libro (15) |
| 3 books due back on Friday | 3 livres à rendre vendredi | text, not a button | 3 libros para devolver el viernes |
| Save | Enregistrer | 11 | Guardar (7) |
| Download | Télécharger | 11 | Descargar (9) |
| Share | Partager | 8 | Compartir (9) |
| Imprimer | 8 | Imprimir (8) | |
| Help | Aide | 4 | Ayuda (5) |
| Settings | Paramètres | 10 | Ajustes (7) |
| Log out | Se déconnecter | 14 | Cerrar sesión (13) |
Evidences criterion 4: every button label is inside the 16-character limit, and the counts are shown rather than claimed.
My first attempt at Save was Enregistrer dans ma liste — 25 characters, so nine over. I cut it to Enregistrer (11). The user can already see they are looking at one book, so "in my list" was telling them something the screen had told them twice.
My first attempt at Download was Télécharger le livre — 20 characters. Télécharger (11) is enough because the arrow on the icon shows the direction, which is how a French user tells download from upload anyway.
The Spanish version needed no shortening at all. Spanish is the tightest of the three languages here and French the loosest, which is why designers leave about 30% spare width in an English layout before it is translated.
Evidences criterion 5: the same verb is used for the same action in both places it appears, and each cut is justified by what the user can already see.