Translating Greek Philosophical Texts 3800-G24-T-OG

This translating course is intended for students with an initial and intermediate knowledge of Greek (at least 2 semesters of Greek language course completed). The aim of the course is to prepare students for reading Greek philosophical texts and to practice their knowledge of grammar on original Greek texts. During the course, we will get acquainted with various conventions and genres to which Greek philosophical texts belong. Our main activity will be reading and translating Greek philosophical texts (after having prepared at home the vocabulary and having made the grammatical analysis of the text).
In addition to the translations, as part of the course, we will discuss existing translations of classical Greek authors to better understand the techniques of translating a philosophical text. The classes also include grammar exercises aimed at refreshing your knowledge of Greek.
Planned texts include passages from Plato’s dialogues (The Republic, Phaedo, The Banquet), texts by Aristotle (Metaphysics, The Categories) and from Neoplatonist authors – in particular Plotinus. The actual selection of texts depends on the preference of the group.