Sesotho to English: distinguish the reader, the audience, and the number
Ke and Re tell the English sentence who speaks
The bilingual reading resource pairs Ke rata ho bala with I love reading and Re rata ho bala with we love reading. The small change at the front is meaningful. English must preserve whether one person or a group speaks, even when the remainder of the sentence translates identically.
When extracting a sentence for a quotation or a school newsletter, keep that subject information. A group’s message should not become a personal declaration just because I sounds more natural in an English introduction. Conversely, a child’s own statement should not be generalized to everyone in the class. Read the complete source sentence before deciding the English voice.
Follow the child reference through the passage
Nal’ibali’s interview material uses ngwana for a child and bana for children in corresponding English contexts. These forms do not resemble the English singular-plus-s pattern. If the message discusses both an individual learner and children generally, check each reference rather than treating similar topic words as interchangeable.
The dictionary research gives another useful contrast: motho, person, and batho, people. Its discussion of noun-class labels explains why a search result may contain information beyond the English gloss. Use that information to establish number, then write ordinary English. A single person giving an answer and people giving answers are different claims in a report.
An extra English preposition may express the verb’s relationship
The bilingual interview distinguishes reading from reading to children. Sesotho forms related to bala appear within constructions that specify these relationships. English may require a separate to plus a listener expression where the source packages that relationship differently. More English words do not automatically mean the translator has added an idea.
In an educational instruction, establish who reads aloud and who listens. If an English version says that children read when the source asks an adult to read to them, the activity has changed. Check that participant relationship before polishing vocabulary such as story, book, or lesson. It controls what a family is expected to do.
Keep the English action as specific as the source
A translation about literacy should preserve whether the text asks someone to read, tell a story, write, or discuss. The Nal’ibali resources present these as related but distinct activities. Replacing them all with a general phrase such as work on literacy may be acceptable for a summary, but it loses useful detail in an instruction.
For correspondence that will be forwarded, compare the final English with the Sesotho for speaker number, child versus children, and reader versus listener. These concrete checks are particularly helpful when a passage repeats similar vocabulary across different activities. Retain the source sentence with the translation so later edits do not detach a well-written English instruction from the person and action the original actually described.
Language references
Sesotho is listed by the provider as Sesotho (language code st). Source text reads left to right. Preserve original spelling, punctuation, and names when entering text.
The selected target is English (English; code en). The result is displayed left to right. If another script or regional variant is needed, select its separate entry in the language directory.