Vergilian Society Translation Contest
Registration for the first Vergilian Society Translation Contest is now open. Top contestants can expect a small cash prize and bookplates in the late Spring 2014, prior to school award ceremonies.
Please pass the word on to fellow teachers of Vergil who would like to make this opportunity available to their students.
Translation Contest Registration Form: CLICK HERE
Registered teachers will receive information at the e-mail address recorded there, and will receive further links for contest submissions.
Contest Instructions
The spirit of the contest is to celebrate the poet Vergil by encouraging students in K-12 to translate a selection of his verses, at sight, into fluent English.
Format: The test is designed to be written in one sixty-minute period. The selections vary from year to year. There will be at least one substantial passage of Vergil (and possibly two, with the second being shorter) designed to be written within the hour including revision. Please note that:
- The passages may be drawn from both the AP syllabus selections and the non-AP syllabus selections of Vergil.
- No dictionary — neither Latin, nor English, nor Latin-to-English or English-to-Latin — is allowed. This is a sight translation contest.
- There is also a short cultural section, that emphasizes the literary background of Augustan literature and the process of translation. This section may be either multiple choice or short answer, in fluent English.
Eligibility: Teachers must be members of the Vergilian Society. (In order to renew your dues or to join, please CLICK HERE.) Students, generally, will be advanced students in a secondary school Latin program. If students entering the contest are eligible for accommodations, please contact the Second Vice President.
Administration: Depending on the school setting, the contest will require sixty minutes of proctoring by the classroom teacher or by a Guidance/Counseling officer (preferred). Ensure there are no dictionaries in the testing room. Entries will be submitted, wherever possible, to the Second Vice President by web-form; they will then be sent on the jury.
Dates: Registration — 18 February 2014. Administration of the Contest — 24 – 28 February 2014. Any questions regarding dates of registration or submission of entries should be directed to the Second Vice President.
Syllabus: A selected reading bibliography, at the PDF document HERE, is a brief but by no means exhaustive selection of readings that can help both teacher and student prepare for the contest. This syllabus is selected and hence not required.
Cost: free of charge for students.
Awards: cash prizes and bookplates, to be awarded before end of April 2014.