How do I make my translations into French sound more natural?

When translating from French into English (vice versa) it is important to read the passage in its entirety before you even think about having a go at translating it. This is beneficial for a number of reasons: firstly, this will allow you to have a sense of what the passage is talking about in general, which will make it easier to translate later on. Secondly, if you begin translating right away, you may have to go back and cross out what you have written down as the word order can change from French to English. Finally, reading the passage all the way through will allow you to identify certain words or structures that you may find difficult, which you can then take time to reflect over. With all this this in mind it is now time to begin your translation. Having gone over it before should allow you to easily translate the sentences you are comfortable with; but for those more difficult ones here is a useful trick that you can use. Try not to think of the sentence too literally. One of the most common errors in translation for students that leads to a sentence sounding unnatural is a literal translation of French into English (vice versa). In order to avoid this, it may be necessary to slightly change the word order of the sentence, or use different vocabulary. The best way to prepare to this is to make a vocab sheet on your topic areas and try to memorise these key words. You won't be penalised as long as the way in which you translate the sentence still communicates the desired information.