Ecce Romani Level I

Latin Learning Latin
1

Salvete Omnes!

Okay, so my Latin I course has started this year, in my 3rd year of high school. I have studied more than 3/4ths of the summer and now back in school. Anyway, I ordered my textbook [because my school does not offer it, i have to take it via internet], and everything is set up great, but my question is

Has anyone dealt with the Ecce Romani Series?

If not, let me explain a little about it [and if you have, tell me your thought on it as a textbook]

It is a textbook, that goes through the nessesary grammar and vocabulary stuff, but everything is based in a storybook form. each lesson, you have a story in latin to read. Which is innovative and is supposed to intrigue the reader.

Of course, this Textbook is my BASIC learning tool, while I have other texts and tools that deal more with grammar and syntax.

anyway, so its considered good for the High school level, because its not only effective, but it is fun.

Anyway.. my first actual question is this:

in the text, first Chapter. The first sentence says the following:

‘Ecce! In pictūr? est puella, n?mine Cornēlia.’

I myself translate this as 'Look! [or Behold!] In the picture is a girl, by the name Cornēlia.

and in my book, they translate [course,this is not the same sentence, but a portion of it]

‘In pictūr? est puella.’ as ‘A girl is in the picture.’


now… is my sentence wrong? if so, why?
I mean, they both seem to work

‘A girl is in the picture, by the name Cornelia’

I’m thinking my sentence may not be constructed correctly in english, thus is why its not the same as the book translate it.
in which case, I am wrong for the first sentence..


Anyway.. I will translate the whole first chapter for you, and tell me if you think I’m doing okay

Chapter 1: Two Roman Girls

Ecce! In pictūr? est puella, n?mine Cornēlia. Cornēlia est puella R?m?na quae in Italīa habitat. Etiam in pictūr? est vīlla rūstica ubi Cornēlia aest?te habitat. Cornēlia est laeta quod iam in vīll? habitat. Cornēlia iam sub abore sedet et legit. Etiam in pictūr? est altera puella, n?mine Fl?via. Fl?via est puella R?m?na quae in vill? vīcīn? habitat. Dum Cornēlia legit, Fl?via scībit. Laeta est Fl?via quod Cornēlia iam in vill? habitat.

‘Look! In the picture is a girl, by the name Cornēlia. Cornēlia est a Roman girl who lives in Italy. Also in the picture is a Country house and farm where Cornēlia lives in the summer. Cornēlia is happy because she now lives in the farmhouse. Cornēlia is now sitting under a tree and reading. Also in the picture is another girl, by the name Fl?via. Fl?via is a Roman girl who lives in the neighboring farmhouse. While Cornēlia reads, Fl?via writes. Fl?via is happy because Cornēlia is now living in the farmhouse.’


Okay, so critique my translation.. and tell me what you think I have done wrong, or need to improve on. [based on this passage]. Note the continuous words being used in the sentences, this is to enhance comprehension of the words for that chapter. So many are written this way.

2

Don’t expect your translation to always be identical to what the book gives. Even in English, which tends to have fairly rigid word order, there are often several ways of saying the same thing. Part of what learning a language involves is being able to tell the difference between a variation which is correct, and a mistake – for example, translating “girls” instead of “girl”.

“In the picture is a girl” and “A girl is in the picture” mean the same thing. Think about it: the only difference is in the word order and the relative importance placed on each element of the sentence. In English, “a girl is in the picture” is a pretty neutral sentence (subject - verb), while “in the picture is a girl” focuses our attention on the picture. Latin will often put words in a different order than in English; I think in this case either English version is fine.

I wouldn’t focus too much on actively translating. It can help make sure you understand what you’re reading, but it can also be a hindrance. Instead, try to read simply understand what you’re reading; pay attention to the way things are phrased differently in Latin and try to get a sense of how the language works.

3

Thank you so much. It makes me feel so much more confident now that I am sure that very subttle differences are not going to change the ‘meaning’ or ‘content’

You’ve made my load lighter. thanks!

4

I used Ecce Romani for Latin I and II at my high school, but I cannot say I would recommend them, for their organization is nonsensical. They give you a passage to translate, then the grammatical and syntactical information necessary to do the translation. My suggestion to you would be to always read what directly follows the reading passage before actually translating it. And, if you are committed to truly learning Latin, after you have finished Ecce Romani II, don’t do III; rather, Buy an exhaustive reference grammar and Pharrr’s edition of the Aeneid, and teach yourself the rest through translation from primary sources. This is how I learned, and I scored an 800 on the Latin Literature test and 5’s on both of the AP Latin tests (Vergil and Catullus and Ovid). This method is more viable because, after two years of boring, artificial passages, one is ready to delve into Latin Literature and learn the rest pragmatically.