Adler: audêre = achieve?

Latin Learning Latin
1

Salvete!

Here is a weird translation from Exercise 93 (Lesson 47) in Adler’s Practical Grammar:

Question: why translate “audêre” by “to achieve”? Is that even possible? It is true, that Adler introduces the verb “audêre” in this lesson (on page 251), but with the meaning “to dare”. Coincidentally Adler also introduces, in the very same lesson, the verb “conficere”, albeit with the meaning “to make (manufacture)”. Still, both Cassell and L&S list achieve or accomplish as possible translations of “conficere”. Therefore I would suggest the following translation:

  • What has he achieved? Quid ille confecit?
  • It is not worth mentioning what he has achieved. Non est dictu dignum, quod confecit (Nihil dictu dignum confecit).

Of course, there is always the alternative to change the English text (to “dared” instead of “achieved”), but one would think that the English text would represent what Adler really had in mind.

What do you think?

By the way, the current status of this transcription-project, which comprises all Exercises from Adler’s Practical Grammar and the Latin translations from the author’s own Key, is as follows:

  • Missing translations: 20 instances
  • Clearly wrong translations: 62 instances (all clearly due to oversight or haste).

That may sound like a lot, especially the relatively large number of wrong translations. But considering the number of Q&A-pairs (7,138 if I counted correctly) this is understandable. Additionally, these “wrong” translations are mostly single words left untranslated (e.g. the “poor” in “our poor neighbor”).

After solving the present question I will move on to create the missing translations and rectify the wrong ones (by the way, all changes made by me are clearly marked as such). At long last I will create a draft HTML-version with my changes specially formatted to make them recognizable at first glance. At which point I hope that I can count on your help in checking my changes. After that last common perusal I will create a text version and a HTML-version. The input file used to create these will be uploaded as well. I hope that I will find time to create a sort of Adler Unleashed, as well, later on. But everything in its own time.

Valete,

Carolus Raeticus

2

Smith gives conficio, perficio for achieve. Could it be that it was not Adler himself but somebody else who did the key and used Adler’s name?

3

I think the difficulty of finding a concise and idiomatic translation for ausus est has caused Adler (or someone) to take a small liberty. Your suggestion “What has he dared?” isn’t idiomatic English in my book, and I’m afraid I can’t think of any suitable one word alternative, though periphrastic suggestions spring to mind.

4

It’s not the rendering I would expect, but LS does list “undertake, venture” as a meaning:

ausus, a, um, ventured, attempted, undertaken, hence subst.: au-sum, i, n., a daring attempt, a venture, an undertaking, enterprise

It also lists that it can be used “absolutely” with the object understood, which is how I would understand it here.

5

Salvete,

thank you all for your input. As it cannot be ruled out that Adler indeed wanted this translation, I will leave “achieve” as translated by “audêre”. As for the authorship of the Key:

I rather doubt that. The publication of a Key is announced in the 1858-edition of the Practical Grammar in the following terms: “A Key to the exercises of this Grammar, by the author, is in preparation and will soon be published”. And the actual Key (also dating from 1858), that I am using, notes expressly that it has been “prepared by the author”. In addition, it was published by the same publishers. Also there is the note “Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by G. J. Adler, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts”. So, unless someone has been very naughty…

Valete,

Carolus Raeticus