I’ve been reading some articles on the net about reading Latin directly, without translating. They criticize people for having to translate Latin into English while “reading.” Should I worry about this (I’m using Wheelock’s)?
No you shouldn’t. Of course it’s nice to be able to understand a language without translating it. But you cannot exspect to have that ability from the first lessons. The more you study, the more this ability will come. Don’t worry about it: study being enthousiastic, that’s the most important: Don’t loose the passion for Latin. The more you read, the more you will be able to understand easy Latin sentences without translating them every time. After a while you will be able to do that also with more and more difficult sentences. So why worrying?
Moerus
Okay. Thanks for the response; it sounds reasonable enough. 
I’ve been using my limited knowledge of Latin (up to Ch.2 in Wheelock’s) every day, almost obsessively…
I’ve been reading a book by Charles Bennett (early 20th century classicist) and he has an interesting take on this question. He believed that one of the strongest reasons for studying Latin was the mental training it offered. As he saw it, if the student wasn’t engaged in translation while reading Latin, he was missing the major benefit of the exercise. For this reason, he very specifically thought Latin should not be taught like a modern language, in that the goal was not to learn to think in Latin, at least in the early years.
The book LINGVA LATINA trains the reader to read Latin without translation —the “natural” meathod. I have used this meathod and I highly recommend it.
Gratias; I have read much about it. Unfortunately, I have already used up my budget…
I will give you one tip that will allow you to eventually “read” without translating. When I began to assimilate Latin vocabulary, I only memorized words in relationship to their English equivalent with the result that, when I would see a word like “navis”, I would think of “ship.” As a result, anything I read would have to be filtered through its English equivalent first. If you want to actually feel the language for what it is, learn vocabulary, grammar, and syntax for what they actually are, not what they are in relation to English. When you learn a word or construction, envision what it represents, don’t filter it through how English represents it first.
Reading outloud — all the time — also helps enormously.
Thanks, I have one question:
How would I go about learning the grammar and syntax for what they actually are?
Learning the vocabulary by envisioning what it represents is the way I’ve been learning vocabulary for my foreign languages recently; I’ve found that it’s much more efficient than the “traditional flash card method.” I haven’t been doing it for Latin, though. 
@Lucus Eques
I should try doing that one day.
Something completely unrelated to the topic at hand: How did you make those dots in your location and signature?
One day? NVNC my friend! Read Latin always outloud, and live the language just as the Romans; there is no truer way. I will compliment you further though on your imagination, which I say litterally, for you imagine the meanings of the words that you memorize, the best and only way to truly apprehend new words — eu ge!
As for the dots, do you have a Mac?
<?xml version="1.0"?>
Glorious! Then merely hold alt+shift+9. The alt key gives you access to all kinds of wonderful ascii characters.
I agree with everything said in this thread, most of all with necessity to read out loud. You may not want to be reading aloud in all circumstances (you’ll look quite peculiar at the local coffee shop), but whenever you can, do it. As Lucus said, it’s how the Romans did it (In St. Augustine’s Confessiones, he remarks, at one point, how strange it is that St. Ambrose reads quietly). Hearing a word while reading it is another way of reinforcing what you’re reading. It’s even more useful in inflected languages like Latin or Greek.
Also, like Moerus said, don’t worry about it one bit now. For any beginner of a language, you’ll find yourself reading, as per the above example, “navis” and thinking the English word “ship.” It can’t be helped. However, eventually…sometimes sooner, sometimes later depending on the amount and frequency of your study…you will read “navis” and envision a ship in your mind without the need for the English word to provide the link. Brains are efficient pieces of biology…without having to force it, your brain will eventually stop bothering with an intermediary word like the English “ship” for you to comprehend “navis.” One only has to see 5 x 5 = 25 enough times in one’s youth for your mind to stop bothering with the computation and just spit out the result.
The hardest part, if you ask me, is simply the patience. The ability to understand while reading (as opposed to translating while reading) does come naturally, but not at first…and I think that tends to discourage because you end up reading at a snail’s pace. It’s also why most language books say to study a little each day, even if only for five minutes. It’s the day-to-day persistent reinforcement that leads to recognition and efficiency of the mind.
Best,
Chris
So, where does he say this? I’d like to look at this essay/book.
So, where does he say this? I’d like to look at this essay/book.
It’s in The Teaching of Latin and Greek in the Secondary School by Charles E. Bennett and George F. Bristol, Longmans, Green & Co., 1900 (rev. 1917), pp. 85-103 Bennett wrote the Latin section; Bristol wrote the Greek. Bennett makes a distinction between “reading at sight” and “translating at sight,” which is the subject of the next section of the book. The book sounds dry but it’s actually quite interesting. Unfortunately, it’s exceedingly difficult to find at anything like a reasonable price. But it does turn up from time to time.
Is free reasonable enough?
Teaching of Latin and Greek in the Secondary School
I’m looking forward to reading this one.
Where’s the rest of this book?
Oh, I see… stupid copyrights.
Hmmm, not sure why you can’t get it all. The copyright has expired – I get a “download pdf” button that gives me the whole book.
I probably can’t get it because I reside outside the U.S. Would getting a copy of that pdf be illegal?
It is in the public domain, there is no longer a copyright on the book.
I can get it from the library here.