Reading Caesar in Latin

Now that you have a better idea of Caesar's writing style and the focus of his writing, it is time for you to read Caesar in Latin.

Download the Julius Caesar - Latin Reading Log handout

Please download and complete the Julius Caesar Gallic Wars - Latin Reading Log handout. The document contains Latin passages for you to read. You will also have an opportunity to complete a few small translations.

Reading vs. Translation

The goal of reading Latin is to attempt to gain an understanding of the content. Reading is not about analyzing every word of the passage to form a carefully constructed English sense. Instead, using the guiding questions to help you gather the general meaning of the passage. Think carefully about how you read English - do you stop to look up every word you read? Do you have to analyze, in a conscious way, the grammar of each word to attempt to make sense of the content? The answers to those questions should be no. So, when you are asked to read a Latin passage, attempt to do so with this in mind: you are trying to understand the passage generally.

Meanwhile, you will sometimes be asked to translate. This means carefully analyzing the vocabulary and grammar to produce an English version of the Latin that accurately conveys the meaning of the passage. Translation is a much more time intensive process as you will be attempting to gather the meaning of each word and how it is working in the context of the line. Once you have gathered all the necessary grammatical uses and meanings, you can then piece together a sentence in English that reflects what was being said in the Latin.

To summarize: reading is about understanding while translation is about analysis. Both require practice and time, and neither will come easy at first. Give yourself breaks, and use the notes and questions to help guide each process.