Helps to Latin Translation at Sight
Chapter 11 : The following version was shown up by a boy of fifteen in a recent scholars.h.i.+p exam

The following version was shown up by a boy of fifteen in a recent scholars.h.i.+p examination:

'Hannibal in _carrying on his successful campaign met with some different luck in this district_. Marcus Centenius, whose cognomen was Penula, was famous among the centurions of the first rank for his huge limbs and great courage. This man, after having accomplished his years of military training, on being introduced into the Senate by the Praetor P. Cornelius Sulla, requested the Patricians to give him 5000 soldiers.

He said that he was well acquainted both with the enemy's tactics and the district round about, and in a short time _would convert the engagement into a prize for the State_: moreover, he added, I will employ the same tactics against the _enemy_ as those by which our generals and troops have been captured in these parts. This was _faithfully_ believed as it was _faithfully_ promised: the tactics of the soldiers and of the commanders were so much alike! He received 8000 men instead of 5000: half of them were Roman citizens, half allies: moreover he himself _got_ some volunteers while on the march in the country districts and so almost doubled his army: he thus reached the territory of the Lucani, where Hannibal after a fruitless pursuit after Claudius, had taken up his position.'

This version is neither bad nor good. The style is, on the whole fair, knowledge of vocabulary very fair, and the rendering generally accurate.

It will, however, be of use to you as an object lesson: so notice carefully the following points:--

I. _Style._

_Sentence IV._--

(i.) The Oratio Obliqua of the original he renders partly as Reported Speech and partly as Oratio Recta. This is, of course, to be avoided.

Contrast the rendering given under Sentence IV.

_Sentence III._--

(ii.) +Is perfunctus ... darentur.+ He uses too many participles.

Contrast version under Sentence III.

_Sentences VI., VII._--

(iii.) He translates +data pro quinque ... subst.i.terat+ by one long sentence, instead of breaking it up into two at least.

II. _Vocabulary._

_Sentence IV._--

+Se peritum ... usurum.+ He confuses +pretium+ with +praemium+, +operae+ with +rei publicae+ (?). He should have been familiar with the phrase +operae pretium+.

+inventorem+ he renders by _enemy_; perhaps a careless mistake, as if the word were +inimic.u.m+ (which after all does not = +hostem+).

_Sentence V._--

+stolide+ he renders by _faithfully_. A moment's thought given to the English word _stolid_ should have put him on the right track.

_Sentence VII._--

+concivit+ he renders by _got_, vague and inappropriate. He fails to bring out the root-meaning of +cieo+ = _to stir up_.

III. _Construction._

_Sentence I._--

This is very bad. _a.n.a.lysis_ would at once have shown him that the logical order of the sentence was

+Alia fortuna bene gerendae rei oblata est Hannibali in his locis+,

though he might not see that +in his locis+ must be closely connected with +oblata est+.

_Sentence IV._--

+brevi operae pretium facturum.+ Very bad: due probably to not carefully weighing the meaning of each word.

You will now see that a strict attention to a.n.a.lysis and to the root-meanings of words really familiar would have enabled this candidate to send up a good version.

DEMONSTRATION IV.

PART II.

_Rashness justly punished._

Haud dubia res est, quippe inter Hannibalem ducem et centurionem; exercitusque, alterum vincendo veteranum, alterum novum totum, magna ex parte etiam tumultuarium et semiermem. |I| Ut conspecta inter se agmina sunt, et neutra pars detrectavit pugnam, extemplo instructae acies. |II| Pugnatum tamen, ut in nulla pari re, duas amplius horas, concitata et, donec dux stetisset, Romana acie. |III| Postquam is non pro vetere fama solum, sed etiam metu futuri dedecoris, si sua temeritate contractae cladi superesset, obiectans se hostium telis cecidit, fusa extemplo est Romana acies. |IV| Sed adeo ne fugae quidem iter patuit omnibus viis ab equite insessis, ut ex tanta mult.i.tudine vix mille evaserint, ceteri pa.s.sim alii alia peste absumpti sint. |V|

LIVY.

_Rashness justly punished._

[Transcriber's Note: The braces around the "Postquam..." clause are in the original.]

+Haud dubia res est+, [quippe inter Hannibalem ducem et centurionem; exercitusque, alterum vincendo veteranum, alterum novum totum, magna ex parte etiam tumultuarium et semiermem.] {I} [Ut conspecta inter se agmina sunt, et neutra pars detrectavit pugnam], extemplo +instructae acies+. {II} +Pugnatum+ tamen, ut in nulla pari re, duas amplius horas, concitata et, [donec dux stetisset], Romana acie. {III} {Postquam is non pro vetere fama solum, sed etiam metu futuri dedecoris, [si sua temeritate contractae cladi superesset], obiectans se hostium telis cecidit}, +fusa+ extemplo +est Romana acies+. {IV} Sed adeo ne fugae quidem +iter patuit+ omnibus viis ab equite insessis, [ut ex tanta mult.i.tudine vix mille evaserint, ceteri pa.s.sim alii alia peste absumpti sint]. {V}

LIVY.

DEMONSTRATION IV.

LIVY, xxv. 19.

_Read through the Pa.s.sage carefully._--The context will be familiar to you, as this piece is a continuation of Demonstration III; but, none the less, read the pa.s.sage through very carefully. Notice, for example, the use of +quippe+, the various uses and meanings of +ut+, +alterum ...

alterum+, +alii alia+.

You can now begin to translate.

+I.+ +Haud dubia res est, quippe inter Hannibalem ducem et centurionem; exercitusque, alterum vincendo veteranum, alterum novum totum, magna ex parte etiam tumultuarium et semiermem.+

(i.) _Vocabulary._--

+quippe+ = +qui + pe+. +pe+ = a form of +que+ (cf. +nempe = nam-pe+ = indeed) = _since of course_.

+alterum+ (comparative of +al-ius+), cf. +alter+, _alternate_, _either_, _other_.

In distributive clauses, +alter--alter+ = _the one_, _the other_.

+tumultuarium+ (cf. +tumultus+), used of troops brought _hurriedly_ together; so, _disorderly_.

(ii.) _Translation._--This sentence is quite simple, consisting of one main statement, +Haud dubia res est+, and an explanatory subordinate statement of fact introduced by +quippe+. Notice that the influence of +inter+ extends over the whole of the subordinate clause.

_Literally:_ 'The affair was not doubtful, since, of course, it was between Hannibal as general and a centurion, and between armies, the one grown old in victory, the other wholly new, and for the most part also hurriedly raised and half-armed.'