Classical Greek / Levels 7 and 8 / Engaging with texts / Translating
Content description
Translate Classical Greek texts into Standard English, by applying knowledge of vocabulary, accidence and syntax, and linguistic and cultural cues
Elaborations
reading texts to gain a sense of holistic meaning, and identifying cues, such as text type, familiar vocabulary, grammar, and cultural references
considering multiple meanings of vocabulary, for example, by using dictionaries and electronic translation tools, and making appropriate selections according to context, for example, ἄριστος
using known vocabulary, in Classical Greek or English, and context to deduce the meaning of unknown words
identifying meanings of words by recognising change of form, such as irregular verb forms and third declension nouns, for example, φέρω/οἴσω, παῖς/παιδός
identifying parts of speech and their function in context to determine meaning, for example, identifying the verb in a sentence
identifying the specific function of inflected forms to determine meaning, for example, ὁ ναύκληρος καλεῖτὸν ναύτην (subject + verb + direct object) or ὁ ἀνήρἐστι ποιητής (subject + verb + complement)
applying knowledge of grammar to recognise in context the specific function of words which may have multiple applications, such as subject or object, for example, τὸδένδρονθάλλει. ὁ γεωργὸςκόπτει τὸδένδρον
exploring the effect of using the variety of English translations for verb tenses, for example, ἰδών (‘having seen’, ‘after seeing’, ‘on seeing’, ‘seeing’)
selecting appropriate English meanings, identifying words and expressions that do not translate easily, for example, ἀγαθός, ἄριστος, καλός, ξένος, δεινός, πρὸςτῶνθεῶν
determining appropriate word order in English to retain meaning and emphasis, for example, κελεύεισε ὁ Ζεύς
translating Classical Greek into idiomatic English, for example, by translating ἔστιμοιδοῦλος, as ‘I have a slave’
discussing how words that refer to aspects of ancient Greek culture should be translated, for example, ὁ δῆμος (deme, people, citizen body), ὁ ἀνήρ (man, husband, hero), ξένος (stranger, guest, foreigner)
developing problem-solving skills to resolve perceived issues and anomalies encountered in the translation process, for example, confusion of second declension masculine nominative and third declension feminine genitive
discussing and correcting own translations to increase accuracy and better reflect register, tone and relationships between characters
collaborating with peers to interpret meaning in texts and develop and edit joint translations, using a range of ICT
translating, independently, unseen texts in Classical Greek into appropriate English
