In the CLAA, you will be immersed in Latin and Greek readings throughout the duration of your studies--from Grammar through Theology. The goal of this immersion is for you to read and translate as much of the classical languages as is possible--with understanding.

The method we use to learn classical languages--as we simultaneously study the Grammar--is the same method that was taught by Cicero himself and used by schoolmasters throughout Christian history. What we will be doing is translating the original language into English, then turning the English back into the original language--from memory. By translating the writings of the masters from their language into English, you will learn their vocabulary and style. As you practice turning English back into the original languages, you will learn to speak the languages as the masters did, and allow their original writings to judge and correct yours. When you make Latin just as Cicero did, or Greek as Aristotle did, then--and only then--you can be sure you are doing well with real classical language studies.

In class, I require my students to do every translation exercise 5 times from Latin to English and 5 times from English to Latin. It’s a lot of work, but it helps you to master the readings, which is the goal. If you do not master these translations, you are wasting your time in the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. When you attempt to advance in your studies, you will regret any shortcuts taken in translation work.

These exercises help us, especially when we’re young, not only with language study, but also with handwriting, reading, spelling and more. 80-100

The following instructions explain exactly how to complete these exercises, which students will be doing every day in the CLAA.

STEP 1. Prepare your daily papers so that your work can be organized well for the future. Write your name, date, course name and lesson number and a title for your work on the top two lines of your paper.

STEP 2. Skip one line after your heading and copy the Latin of the assigned reading onto your paper. When copying Latin, you should use larger, uppercase letters with a good deal of space between words because English will normally require more space than Latin. Skip one line after each line of Latin copied.

Note: Most troubles in students' translation work comes from not copying the Latin accurately.

STEP 3. As you study the exposition and learn the English translation, write out the translation word-by-word on the line under each Latin line. Make sure you can clearly see what Latin word your English words refer to.

STEP 4. After you translate the Latin into English, identify the part of speech for each word on the line above each Latin line. Use abbreviations: (N)oun, (Pro)noun, (V)erb, (Par)ticiple, (Adv)erb, (Prep)osition, (Int)erjection, (Con)junction.

Note: Identifying the parts of speech is most important because, as we learn vocabulary, we must know whether a word is declined (and will be seen in other forms) or undeclined (and has only one form). Here are resources to help with this:

STEP 5: Check your translation carefully using the lesson exposition. Please ask any questions you have as this provides opportunity to help you understand the language.

STEP 6: Complete this exercise as many times as needed until you can write out the entire English translation word-by-word and identify all of the parts of speech correctly without any help from your lesson. When you can do that, you are ready for the next exercise. You should complete this Latin-to-English exercise as many times as you can every day until you master the translation and continue it so that you can translate it rapidly without every getting stuck at all.

STEP 7: When you have mastered this exercise, go on to the English-to-Latin exercise that follows.

STEP 1. Prepare your daily papers so that your work can be organized well for the future. Write your name, date, course name and lesson number and a title for your work on the top two lines of your paper.

STEP 2. Skip one line after your heading and copy the English translation of your lesson text onto your paper. You can find this translation written out at the bottom of the translation slides in your lesson exposition. You should skip two lines after every line of Latin and use smaller lowercase letters with less space between words because English will normally require more space than Latin. This will require you to use the front and back of one sheet of college-ruled paper.

STEP 3. As you learn to make a perfect Latin translation of the English, write out the Latin translation word-by-word on the line under each English line. Your Latin must be exactly like St. Jerome's to be considered "correct". Make sure you can clearly see what English words your Latin words refer to.

STEP 4. After you translate the English into Latin identify the part of speech for each word on the line above each English line. Now, this is a place where our classical language studies changes the way we think of English. For example, we should mark the phrase "I am able" in the first line as a verb--not as three separate parts of speech.

STEP 5: Complete this exercise as many times as needed until you can write out the entire Latin translation word-by-word and identify all of the parts of speech correctly without any help from your lesson. When you can do that, you may judge yourself to be done with this exercise. You should complete this English-to-Latin exercise as many times as you can every day until you master the translation and continue it so that you can translate it rapidly without every getting stuck at all.

STEP 6: When you have mastered this exercise, go on to the quizzes and lesson examination for this lesson.

After you have mastered your translation exercises, you must complete the assignment submissions on the Study Center.

To do this, type each Latin word followed by its English translation as follows:

Translation exercises are the key to successful Latin and Greek studies. More than this, once comfortable with translation exercises, students can pursue the knowledge of any foreign languages using the same method.

God bless your studies,
Mr. William C. Michael, Headmaster
Classical Liberal Arts Academ