In both cases, you're right:
The bell indicating the end of class
could indeed have been translated
the school bell
However, the writer had
simpler options in French to write that, but chose to say
the bell marking the end of class
instead, so I think we must follow the writer's intention more closely here.
I only change the text when I think
- there is no equivalent in the target language for what the writer wants to say in the source language, or
- there is no equivalent expression in the source language for the more suitable expression in the target language.
In this case, the writer could have just written
la sonnerie
and then we could have translated it as
the bell
or
the school bell
but in this case the writer was very
precise, so I guess
we have to be too...
The same for
écouter
If the writer had wished to write
entendre
he could have, but because he chose the first one, we have to follow his lead and translate it
listen to
Sorry for so many edits:
I wanted to make sure the text was as an exact reflection of the original as possible, because this was not a Meaning Only translation. I'll validate it now, with no rating, so you will get the points for it.
Translation is challenging stuff, isn't it?