Social Issues: Poverty, Homelessness and Inequality
Social issues around poverty, homelessness and inequality form a translation topic covering present-tense descriptions of social problems, impersonal structures such as il y a de plus en plus de and il est important de + infinitive, and the invariable compound noun un/une/des sans-abri (homeless person/people), which never changes form. Examiners are testing accurate translation of abstract, formal social-issues vocabulary and impersonal sentence structures, at a level that stretches to grade 9.
Before you start
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Method
- Read the whole sentence/passage first, since social-issues texts often mix statistics, causes and proposed solutions in one sentence.
- Identify tense/person: present tense for ongoing problems and statistics, conditional for suggested solutions (on pourrait, il faudrait).
- Note that sans-abri (homeless) is invariable: it never adds an -s, so un sans-abri, une sans-abri and des sans-abri all keep the same spelling; the article shows the number, not the noun.
- Translate impersonal structures by meaning: il y a de plus en plus de + noun (there is more and more/there are more and more), il est important/essentiel de + infinitive (it is important/essential to).
- At Higher tier, an impersonal expression can be followed by que + subjunctive instead of de + infinitive when the subject changes (il est essentiel que nous aidions les plus démunis - it is essential that we help the most disadvantaged); at Foundation level, il faut/il est important de + infinitive is a safer, equally correct default.
- Translate abstract nouns precisely: la pauvreté (poverty), le sans-abrisme (homelessness), les inégalités (inequalities), la précarité (hardship/precariousness).
- Write a full draft, then check agreements last, remembering sans-abri stays unchanged.
- Read the finished sentence back for formal, natural register in the target language.
Worked example
Translate into French: There are more and more homeless people in big cities, and it is essential that the government does more to reduce poverty and inequality.
- Chunk the sentence: 'There are more and more homeless people in big cities' / 'it is essential that the government does more' / 'to reduce poverty and inequality'.
- 'There are more and more homeless people' uses il y a de plus en plus de + the invariable noun sans-abri: il y a de plus en plus de sans-abri dans les grandes villes.
- 'it is essential that the government does more' is an impersonal expression with a change of subject, so at Higher tier it takes que + subjunctive: il est essentiel que le gouvernement fasse davantage.
- 'to reduce poverty and inequality' uses the abstract nouns la pauvreté and les inégalités, kept in the infinitive clause: pour réduire la pauvreté et les inégalités.
- Full translation: Il y a de plus en plus de sans-abri dans les grandes villes, et il est essentiel que le gouvernement fasse davantage pour réduire la pauvreté et les inégalités.
- Foundation-safe alternative for the same idea: il est important de faire plus (using de + infinitive instead of que + subjunctive) if the subjunctive form fasse is not secure.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Translate into English: La pauvreté touche des millions de personnes dans le monde.Show answer
Answer: Poverty affects millions of people in the world.
Q2Translate into French: There are more and more homeless people in this city.Show answer
Answer: Il y a de plus en plus de sans-abri dans cette ville.
Q3Translate into English: Il est important d'aider les sans-abri, surtout en hiver.Show answer
Answer: It is important to help homeless people, especially in winter.
Q4Spot the error and correct it: 'Il y a beaucoup de sans-abris dans la rue.'Show answer
Answer: Sans-abri is invariable and never takes an -s; it should read: Il y a beaucoup de sans-abri dans la rue.
Q5Translate into French: Inequality between rich and poor is a serious problem.Show answer
Answer: L'inégalité entre riches et pauvres est un problème grave.
Q6Translate into English: Certaines familles n'ont pas assez d'argent pour se nourrir correctement.Show answer
Answer: Some families do not have enough money to feed themselves properly.
Q7Translate into French: It is essential that we act to reduce poverty.Show answer
Answer: Il est essentiel que nous agissions pour réduire la pauvreté (accept the Foundation-safe form: Il est essentiel d'agir pour réduire la pauvreté).
Q8Translate into English: Le fossé entre les riches et les pauvres continue de s'agrandir.Show answer
Answer: The gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow/widen.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: Dans de nombreux pays, il y a de plus en plus de sans-abri, surtout dans les grandes villes où le coût de la vie est très élevé. La pauvreté touche particulièrement les familles avec des enfants, qui n'ont parfois pas assez d'argent pour se loger correctement. Il est essentiel que le gouvernement fasse plus pour réduire ces inégalités, par exemple en construisant des logements abordables.
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Translate this passage into French: Poverty and inequality are serious problems in our society today. There are more and more homeless people sleeping on the streets, especially in winter when it is very cold. In my opinion, it is important to help charities that support the most disadvantaged people. We must all do more to reduce this inequality.
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Free printable worksheet
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