Twas the noche before Christmas and all through the casa,
Not a creature was stirring ¡Caramba! ¿Qué pasa?
Los niños were tucked away in their camas,
Some in long bragas, some in pijamas,
Tendiendo the stockings with mucho cuidado
Esperando que Santa would feel obligado
To bring all children, both buenos y malos,
Una bolsa of dulces and other regalos.
Outside in el patio there arose such a grito
That I jumped to my feet like a frightened cabrito.
Corré a la ventana and looked out afuera,
And quién in the mundo do you think that it era?
Saint Nick in a trineo and a big sombrero rojo
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.
And pulling his sleigh instead of venados
Were ocho burros pequeños approaching volados.
I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre
Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:
"Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Beto,
Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!"
Then standing a pie with his manos on his pecho
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little panza like a bowl of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our old chimenea,
Then huffing and puffing por fin in our sala,
With soot smeared all over his red suit de gala,
He filled los calcetines with regalos maravillosos-
For none of the niños had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone like the viento.
And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
"Merry Christmas to All, and Feliz Navidad!
That I jumped to my feet like a frightened cabrito.
Corré a la ventana and looked out afuera,
And quién in the mundo do you think that it era?
Saint Nick in a trineo and a big sombrero rojo
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.
And pulling his sleigh instead of venados
Were ocho burros pequeños approaching volados.
I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre
Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:
"Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Beto,
Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!"
Then standing a pie with his manos on his pecho
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little panza like a bowl of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our old chimenea,
Then huffing and puffing por fin in our sala,
With soot smeared all over his red suit de gala,
He filled los calcetines with regalos maravillosos-
For none of the niños had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone like the viento.
And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
"Merry Christmas to All, and Feliz Navidad!
Hi! I'm a teacher of English in Spain and have found this really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI have also had this kind of problem with my students, I can say each time more and more. So what I decided specially in a class where they wouldn't stop translating their compositions was that they would do their writing compositions in class with a dictionary,and would hand it to me that very same day.
However, it is true that we don't have that much time in class to do the work that students should be doing in class...
I have found really interesting and encouraging the idea you have proposed of working with these google translations in the classroom, so students can see how stupid their writings can sound if they do so.. Nonetheless, I think all this will only focus them more on copying from the internet or using translating tools for their homework... the only possible tool we have for them to try and do things on their own is the evaluation... not only it is easy to see that what they have written comes right out from a translator, but it is easy to see in an exam, in class, with no computers whatsoever, that what they have been writing is totally different from that in the exam...
Gospel translation
translate spanish to english
spanish to english translation
french translation
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. Spanish lessons
ReplyDelete