How good is your Greek based on ancient texts?
Posted: January 30th, 2016, 6:36 am
Even more difficult than Thomas' arrange the word-order game, here is a fill in the grammar game. Try to give this translation from English to Greek your best shot, then compare it to the original yourself, and if you post publicly, others will have a far shot at your effort. I have added a description of genre, and if knowing the genre helps to steer your translation in a good direction, then you have developed a degree of control over the language.
Feedback comments should be "impartial", solid, and constructive. There is very little room between the participant's back and the corner here - unlike the "4x4 Challenge" where people can roam all over the shop. I expect comments like "a subjunctive is used after ἵνα", rather than "you are weak on subjunctives".
Basic rule to be honoured to make this work - Nobody posts quotes from the original text till others have already tried without looking.
Here is an ancient text in English translation that we looked at last year. It is an explanation:
θηρίον - wild beast, κατακρίνειν - to condemn, ὑπομένειν - endure, δεινός - fearful, κόλασις - punishment, κήρυξ - conical shaped shell, ὑποστρώννυμι - spread out under, βάσανος (ἡ) - torment, torture, κολάζεσθαι - to torture, δυνηθείη - if it were possible, τύραννος - ruler, ἐπίμονος - lasting, continuous, ἄρνησις - denial, τρέπειν - turn, bring (sb.) round to, μηχανάομαι - devise, contrive
.
.
.
.
Don't look at it yet, but, the original Greek text is here. It is the last one of section II.
[If this exercise were to be made easier, then I would write hints like the voice or tense to be used, and perhaps add the grammar words, assuming that not everyone has mastered the basics of the language yet].
Feedback comments should be "impartial", solid, and constructive. There is very little room between the participant's back and the corner here - unlike the "4x4 Challenge" where people can roam all over the shop. I expect comments like "a subjunctive is used after ἵνα", rather than "you are weak on subjunctives".
Basic rule to be honoured to make this work - Nobody posts quotes from the original text till others have already tried without looking.
Here is an ancient text in English translation that we looked at last year. It is an explanation:
Here are the key words (not the grammatical words) that you may not be familiar with:Polycarp 2:4 wrote:And in like manner also those that were condemned to the wild beasts endured fearful punishments, being made to lie on sharp shells and buffeted with other forms of manifold tortures, that the devil might, if possible, by the persistence of the punishment bring them to a denial; for he tried many wiles against them.
θηρίον - wild beast, κατακρίνειν - to condemn, ὑπομένειν - endure, δεινός - fearful, κόλασις - punishment, κήρυξ - conical shaped shell, ὑποστρώννυμι - spread out under, βάσανος (ἡ) - torment, torture, κολάζεσθαι - to torture, δυνηθείη - if it were possible, τύραννος - ruler, ἐπίμονος - lasting, continuous, ἄρνησις - denial, τρέπειν - turn, bring (sb.) round to, μηχανάομαι - devise, contrive
.
.
.
.
Don't look at it yet, but, the original Greek text is here. It is the last one of section II.
[If this exercise were to be made easier, then I would write hints like the voice or tense to be used, and perhaps add the grammar words, assuming that not everyone has mastered the basics of the language yet].