Something is Always Lost
Something is always lost in translation, as the saying goes. A recent message from a reader of my review of Latin Via Ovid brought to mind the old cliche. My correspondent had recently read a different review of LVO on Goodreads. The reviewer there had remarked that he had heard from a “professor” that the text in question had “skewed translations.” My reader wanted to know what my opinion was.
Now, let’s stipulate that we know nothing about the person who left the comment on Goodreads, the person he claims is a “professor,” or whether he was accurately representing that person’s words. We’re getting this third hand, at best. And, as they say, something is always lost in translation. Let us also stipulate that there are no translations as such in Latin Via Ovid. That is, it does not feature English translations of Latin texts. To be sure, there are Latin readings that are based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The editor has adapted and simplified theses to fit the ability level of students who are first learning the language. The correspondence is pretty loose in the earlier chapters. As you progress through the book, however, they resemble Ovid’s original text more closely.
How skewed is skewed?
To be fair to my correspondent, he did specifically mention vocabulary and notes in his message. In any case, the question is whether the textbook has somehow “skewed” its presentation of the language. A lot depends on what we mean by that word. Skewed can imply that an author or editor has grossly distorted the meaning of words or the interpretation of a text to fit some other agenda.
I have seen no such thing happening with Latin Via Ovid. It is true, however, that the editor’s choice to focus exclusively on the poet Ovid will mean that students will get a very Ovidian exposure to Latin. That, perhaps, is what the Goodreads reviewer meant by skewed. The specific selections from Ovid that the editor has chosen to adapt for her textbook will further skew the sample. In that sense, I suppose, the book will be skewed.
It’s Inescapable
Having said that, any and every Latin textbook, from the simplest introductory text to the most advanced literary treatment, must necessarily reflect some bias. We have reading-based and grammar-based texts, for example. Some focus almost exclusively on the Golden Age of the 1st century BC. Others try to capture the entire two-thousand-year-plus sweep of literary Latin. Latin for Americans, if we are to trust its title, has a bias toward American learners. It’s inescapable. The choices, preferences, experiences, and particular strengths and weaknesses of a given book’s creators will unavoidably shape its presentation of the Latin language. Any and every introductory text will have a bias of some sort or other.
The good news is, providing the text doesn’t misrepresent important aspects of the language, this need not be a problem. Granted, if my goal was to be able immediately to read, for example, St. Thomas Aquinas’s 13th century Summa Theologiae, I might choose a different intro text than Latin Via Ovid. On the other hand, in St. Thomas’s day (when there were no intro to Latin textbooks), a new learner would typically start by reading Vergil’s Aeneid. Beginning with Book I, line 1 he would learn the meaning and function of every word. The grand epic of pagan Rome was his preparation to read the scriptures in Latin and the works of great Christian writers such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas himself. In like manner, you can learn Latin from just about any of the introductory texts available.
Every Bum, et. al
Of course, you will find some sources more helpful than others. Your interest, enthusiasm, and consistency of effort, however, will be much more important. The late, great Fr. Reggie Foster used to say, “Every bum and prostitute in ancient Rome spoke Latin!” The implication is, needless to say, that if they can do it, so can you. Yes, something is always lost in translation, but, despite the fallen, skewed world in which we live, the real thing is within your grasp.
Featured image top of page: Ovid in Exile, Ion Theodorescu-Sion, 1915