From: Patricia J. Calkin, Dalhousie University                                 <Back>
           <pcalkin@IS.Dal.Ca>

Report of the 2002 CAC Sponsored Sight Translation Competitions

Submitted to AGM of CAC, 13 May 2002
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia

The 2002 Sight Translation Competitions were held on January 17 (Latin papers) and January 24 (Greek papers), 2002. The arrangements for advertising the competitions and the timing of  ailings followed the usual schedule. This year I instituted an e-mail "alert" list by which I was able to give notice to one colleague at each institution that material was being mailed.  I hoped by this means to avoid some of the problems of previous years when mailed packages went astray within Departments.  I was only partly successful in this intervention since one Department still missed the competitions because the information did not reach the right person.  However, I wish here to record my thanks to those colleagues who agreed to be on the "list" and to keep track of the Sights information at their own institution.   On the financial side, the Sights still receive some support from individuals and institutions, although not as much as in previous years.  Even with the small economies effected in the last few years the cost of the competitions per year is still between $450.00 and $500.00 excluding the prizes.  The Classical Association of Canada continues to pick up any shortfall in the administrative costs of the Sights and for this support I offer my own thanks.

Submissions and entries to the Junior Latin and Junior Greek competitions were down this year, in some cases significantly.  The Senior Latin, however, showed a marked increase in entries from 32 to 54, while the Senior Greek held nearly stable with 23 in 2002 compared to 22 in 2001. Submissions and entries to the High School Competition were down by about 20% from the 2001 levels.  The actual numbers for the 2002 competition are:

• JUNIOR LATIN:  131 entries from 13 universities, 0 schools = 39 submissions
• JUNIOR GREEK:   103 entries from 17 universities, 1 school  = 43 submissions
• SENIOR LATIN:   97 entries from 17 universities = 54 submissions
• SENIOR GREEK:   66 entries from 15 universities =  23 submissions
• HIGH SCHOOL LATIN: 144 entries from 12 schools = 39 submissions

There were remarkably few concerns expressed this year about the various passages, although I did receive  the usual comments about the level of the Junior Greek paper. In general, the passages chosen by the various colleagues seemed to meet with approval.  The one exception was the French vocabulary supplied for the High School Latin paper.  That aspect of the competition continues to raise questions and so it was this year despite the fact that the paper was set by a francophone colleague.  On another point, concerns were raised this year by some colleagues about the timing of the competition; in particular there seems to be a wish in some quarters that the papers be written earlier in the academic year so that the results can be  released before the students break at the end of the spring term.  It is certainly desirable to announce the results of the competition while the students are still in session, and I always urge our colleagues who are judging the papers to submit their results before the end of March just so that the complete list of winners can be announced by early April.  However, the problems created by moving the dates of writing into the first term seem to me to override the advantages of an earlier announcement date.  I am sure there would be far more concerns raised about students writing so early in their year of study than are now expressed about a delayed result date.

The Junior Latin paper, Pliny the Elder, Historia Naturalis 8.26.67-68 was set and marked by Dr James Butrica of Memorial University Newfoundland.  He writes:

In all, 39 submissions were received, 3 in French and the remainder in English.  All who wrote experienced some difficulty with the passage, and it was clear that students would have benefitted from having definitions for incumbo, careo, fungor, and quadriduo in particular; a surprising number took vires to be from vir; and the force of the subjunctives incumbant and praeparentur was generally missed.  Apart from the difficulties caused by vocabulary, however, the very best of the entries showed a generally high level of comprehension (though the notion of castrating female camels seems to have raised some understandable confusion.)

The Junior Greek paper, Lucian 35.1 "The Judgement of Paris", was set and marked by Dr. Hugh Mason of The University of Toronto.  His report reads:

I was pleased by the number of entrants (43), and struck by the wide range in competence within the group, from the prize winners, who were able to make good sense of the whole, to those who only attempted a sentence or two.  I am however pleasantly surprised, as I am by students in my own classes, at how far beginners progress in only 18 months of study of a complex language.  The passage, from Lucian's version of the judgement of Paris, was 13 lines long.  Apart from the question of difficulty, this appears to have been too much for the majority of the contestants.  A large number did quite well with the first paragraph but barely attempted the second. There were elements of vocabulary that caused more difficulty than I  expected, especially "isos" (equal) in the feminine and the participle "agapon."  However, what really struck me was the difficulty that many of the contestants had with the many imperatives in the passage.  Zeus tells Hermes: "go" to Ida and "tell" Paris to judge the goddesses; many, perhaps a majority, treated these verbs as though they were indicatives.  In addition, accusatives of respect (Paris is "sophos to erotika" 'wise in affairs of love') appeared not to be familiar to many of the contestants. Finally, a surprising number misread the capital "omega" of "hora," which began the second paragraph ('it is now time. . .'), and introduced Hera into a sentence where she had no place.  This, along with some odd transliterations of the place-name Gargaron, suggests to me that the normal process of reading and writing Greek in elementary classes does not necessarily make all the capital letters familiar.

The Senior Latin paper, Seneca, De Beneficiis 1.13.1-3, was set and marked by Dr Peter O'Brien of Dalhousie University.  His report reads:
 

Students did a good job conveying the general sense of a sometimes difficult passage.  Only four of the fifty-two contestants did not complete the passage (all four stopped in the middle of the last sentence). Few students left substantial gaps in their translations, and most made educated substitutions for unfamiliar vocabulary.  Many translations (including some of the most successful) faltered at various points in the long and complex third sentence.  A list of the most common difficulties follows:
(1) cum. . . tolleret: most recognised the cum clause, but many failed
to translate animos . . . tolleret or supra humana idiomatically.
(2) prosecutus: many translated the deponent as a passive.
(3) cogitavit . . . dedissent: many missed the indirect questions.
(4) tamquam: some failed to translate the word correctly, and thus
missed the sense of the clause.
(5) non concupiscendo, sed iudicando, quid vinceret: many handled the
gerunds awkwardly and missed the indirect question.

The Senior Greek paper, Lucian, Prometheus 11-12, was set and marked by Dr. Martin Cropp of The University of Calgary.  He reports:
 

The passage set this year was from Lucian's Prometheus, sections 11-12 (slightly abridged). This proved to be a suitably demanding competition piece, with little abstruse vocabulary but some complexities of syntax and rhetorical argument. None of the entries approached perfection, but the five prize-winners all did a very creditable job in grasping the general argument and most of the sentence-structure.  The best entry stood out a little from the other four which were very closely grouped.  In all more than half of the twenty-three entries attained a good degree of completeness and accuracy. The most widespread difficulties were with the accusative participle-phrase and predication in the opening sentence ("as the accusation which this matter comprises is twofold"), the proper meaning of "it was right", i.e. "one should have", rather than "it was necessary", the phrasing of "all shaggy with woods, and these untamed ones", and of "it was better to take a little bit of clay and compose some living creatures and mould them to resemble us in their shapes", and the syntax of  "there not being anything <which was> opposed to it and in contrast with which examination, when made, would show that it was more blessed".

The High School Latin paper, Phaedrus III.17,was set and marked by Dr. Benjamin Victor of the Université de Montréal.  His report reads:
 

It is clear from this year's contest that a certain few high-school students can make sense of an uncut, unadapted classical text, given minimal aid.  Such students are ready, on entering university, to walk directly into junior- and senior-level courses, an obvious economy of time and effort for them and a benefit to university departments.  The more of them can be trained to this level in schools, the better for everyone, and that should be our goal.  Unfortunately, it was only a small number of participants--some four out of thirty-nine--who got anything like the gist of this year's passage, a thirteen-line fable of no great difficulty.  May I urge all concerned to aim higher, and dare I hope that those who do will be rewarded?

Here again I record my thanks to those who set and marked the passages for this year's competitions; their care and attention to detail and their prompt observance of my deadlines have made my job very much easier than it might have been.  Thanks are due also to those who entered the contests and to their teachers; without their enthusiasm and participation there could, of course, be no contests.  Finally, I wish to acknowledge, as well,  those who continue to support the Sights on a yearly basis with their generous financial contributions.  They remain the pillars of the competition.  I append the lists of the 2002 prize winners.

Respectfully submitted,
Patricia J. Calkin
Dalhousie University.

SENIOR  UNDERGRADUATE  SIGHT  TRANSLATION  COMPETITION  IN  GREEK 2002  RESULTS

• First Prize: Edward Barham, University of Toronto
• Second Prize: Michael James Griffin, University of British Columbia
• Third Prize: Christine McGillis, University of Waterloo
• Fourth Prize: James Eastland, University of British Columbia
• Fifth Prize: Brian Monteiro, University of Toronto

SENIOR  UNDERGRADUATE  SIGHT  TRANSLATION  COMPETITION  IN  LATIN 2002  RESULTS

• First Prize: Brian Monteiro, University of Toronto
• Second Prize: Christopher Gordon, University of Waterloo
• Third Prize: Alexander Orwin, University of Toronto
• Fourth Prize: Jean-Philippe Chartré, McGill University
• Fifth Prize: Florence Yoon, Dalhousie University
• Honorable Mention: Michelle Wong, University of Toronto

NATIONAL  GREEK  SIGHT  TRANSLATION  CONTEST/CONCOURS  NATIONAL  DE  VERSION  GRECQUE
The Winners of the 2002 Contest and Recipients of the MARGARET H. THOMSON PRIZES are

• First Prize: Brian Morrin, University of Winnipeg
• Second Prize: Gilles Roy, Concordia University
• Third Prize: Christopher Gordon, University of Waterloo

NATIONAL  LATIN  SIGHT  TRANSLATION  CONTEST/CONCOURS  NATIONAL  DE  VERSION  LATINE
The Winners of the 2002 Contest and Recipients of the MARGARET H. THOMSON PRIZES are

• First Prize: Jeffrey Green, University of British Columbia
• Second Prize: Taddy Stzinger, McGill University
• Third Prize: David Wachsmuth, McGill University
• Honourable Mention: David Lachapelle, Université de Montréal; Edward Moore, University of Victoria

THE  CLASSICAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  CANADA/SOCIÉTÉ  CANADIENNE  DES  ÉTUDES  CLASSIQUES

HIGH  SCHOOL  LATIN  SIGHT  TRANSLATION  CONTEST/CONCOURS  DE VERSION  LATINE  POUR  LES  ÉCOLES  SECONDAIRES 2002  RESULTS

• First Prize: Sai Rupa Vangala, University of Toronto Schools
• Second Prize: Nikhil Gandhi, Markham District High School
• Third Prize: Léonid Sirota, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf
• Honourable Mention: Bikrampal Singh Sidhu, University of Toronto Schools

From: C.A. Stray, University of Wales, Swansea                                              <Back>
                    <C.A.Stray@swansea.ac.uk>

Preliminary announcement and call for papers
University of Wales Institute of Classics and Ancient History
conference on Classics in 19th and 20th century Britain

In the last 25 years the study of classics in Britain, both as scholarship and as social and cultural formation, has become an expanding field. The time seems ripe to take stock of this field, to pull together work from a range of disciplines and to ask, what was British about classics in Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries?  To this end, we invite offers of papers on any aspect of the study and use of classics in the period, for a conference to be held in Wales in May 2005. The following list of topics, though not exclusive, will give an idea of the areas we hope to discuss:

• Scholarship, its organisation, forms and styles (eg Greek and Latin composition, amateurism vs professionalism, learned societies and journals, hacks, the writing and publishing of scholarly editions and textbooks).
• Institutional versions of classics (e.g. Oxford, Cambridge, London, Scotland, public schools, museums).
• Home and away: foreign and colonial versions of classics (eg Ireland, the Empire and Commonwealth); British institutions abroad (e.g. the British Schools at Athens and Rome); interaction with the continent; patriotism and scholarship.
• Facing out: classics and British culture (e.g. translations, cribs, popular drama, classical themes and references in English literature, working-class knowledge of and attitudes to classics).
• Methodology and historiography (e.g. critiques of existing work, the use of biography, the relevance of class and gender analysis).

Please send proposals or enquiries to me (maximum 250 words) before 1st October 2002.

From: Karen Manning, Harvard University                                            <Back>
                    <kmanning@fas.harvard.edu>

XVI International Congress of Classical Archaeology
of the Associazione Internazionale di Archeologia Classica (AIAC)
August 23-26, 2003
Harvard University Art Museums
Boston/Cambridge, USA

Call for Papers
Sponsored by Harvard University Art Museums, the 16th International Congress of Classical Archaeology will be held for the first time in the United States.  The theme of the congress is: "Common Ground: Archaeology, Art, Science, and Humanities" and has been designed to bring together scholars from these diverse fields and to offer new perspectives and new methods of investigation.  Institutions in Cambridge and Boston represent one of the cradles of classical archaeology and art history in the western hemisphere and will offer stimulating experiences, collections, and perspectives to the participants.

Eligibility:
Membership in AIAC is not required to present a paper at the meeting.  Scholars, students, museum professionals, and those working in areas such as archaeology, prehistory, classics, history of art and architecture, classical archaeology and literature, conservation, site preservation, computer technology, historiography, and museum studies are invited to submit an abstract relating to the Congress theme.

Languages:
Papers will be accepted in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Correspondence with participants will be in English.

Submission Procedures:
All abstracts must be received on or before November 1, 2002.  All submissions will be reviewed and grouped into sessions by the Program Committee.  Abstracts should include sufficient information (geographical, chronological, methodological, etc.) to enable the Committee to assign them to the appropriate session.  The Committee reserves the right to assign abstracts submitted for sessions to the Poster Session should that method of presentation be deemed more suitable.  Submitters will be notified of the Program Committee's decision to accept or decline a submission in February 2003.

Paper and Poster Sessions:
To present a paper (not to exceed 15 minutes), or a poster presentation at the Congress, submit an abstract that is typed, double-spaced, and not to exceed 250 words.  On a separate sheet, please provide:

• your name,
• academic affiliation for any co-authors,
• your mailing address (including country and postal codes),
• telephone, cell-phone, and fax numbers (including country and city codes),
• e-mail address.

Colloquium Sessions
Colloquia submissions require a one page statement which clearly outlines the theme of the colloquium.  List the papers in the order they will be presented including any discussants or respondents.  An abstract and complete contact information is required for every presenter (see above).  The colloquium materials should arrive as one package.

Individuals interested in organizing a colloquium may contact Amy Brauer or Carol Mattusch at: AIAC2003.fas.harvard.edu for more information.

Suggested Session Topics:
Recording the Past, New Discoveries and Developments, Views of the Ancient World, History of Archaeology, Science in Archaeology, Museums and Collecting, Classical Archaeology and Museums, Teaching Classical Archaeology, Computers in Classical Archaeology, Iconography and Religion, Epigraphy and Numismatics, Classical Architecture and City Planning

Submissions may be made by:
a) Electronic-submissions will be accepted on our website at http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu.  Click on "Events and Programs" and follow
the AIAC 2003 links.
b) mail-hard copy submissions should be sent to AIAC 2003, Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art and Numismatics, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge,  MA  02138, USA.
c) fax submissions may be sent to 617-495-5506.  Faxed submissions must be followed by a hard copy.

Congress Registration:
All presenters will be required to register for the Congress and pay the full conference fee.  A reduced fee will be available to students.  AIAC provides no remuneration for travel or any other expenses.

For information about membership in the AIAC, please visit their web-site at:  http://www.aiac.org.   All AIAC members will receive a reduced registration fee.

Key Dates:

• Deadline for submitting abstracts: November 1, 2002
• Notification of acceptance or rejection: February, 2003
• Deadline for reduced registration fee: June 1, 2003
• Deadline for hotel reservations: June 22, 2003
• Deadline for paper: January 1, 2004

For More Information:
Please check our web-site (http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu) for updated information regarding the Congress.  Click on the Arthur M. Sackler Museum link for the Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art and Numismatics.

Amy Brauer
Ancient and Byzantine Art and Numismatics
<AIAC2003@fas.harvard.edu>
Arthur M. Sackler Museum
Tel:      617-495-3393
Harvard University Art Museums
Fax:    617-495-5506
32 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA  02138  USA
Web-site: http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu   or:  http://www.aiac.org