Mastering Latin with Arthur Scargill et al | Letters

I was intrigued by your write-up (Lecturers inspired to use Taylor Swift lyrics to make Latin available, 7 April). My expertise of being taught New Testament Greek in the mid-80s relied on a understanding of current affairs.

Our trainer, the excellent Prof Michael Goulder from Birmingham College, made use of to existing us with a piece to translate just about every 7 days, published in his possess fair hand. This may be a biblical piece, a piece from historical Greek material, or a modern information tale.

At the time we were being in the center of the miners’ strike and I immediately figured out to look for for “Arthur” in the text as that was a apparent indicator it was neither biblical nor historic. It was a fantastic way to train us the language as properly as making certain we held up to date on the news.
Dr Fiona Thompson
Shipley, West Yorkshire

In the 1960s, in an exertion to make our Latin classes a lot more fun, our incredibly charismatic teacher, Mrs Howard, gave us the job of translating well-liked songs into Latin Cliff Richard’s The Young Types was comparatively straightforward, somewhat more difficult was The Kinks’ Devoted Follower of Fashion, in distinct the line “and when he pulls his frilly nylon panties suitable up tight”. It labored! We experienced a good deal of fun and, versus all odds, I managed to go O-level Latin.
Deborah Lace
Ormskirk, Lancashire

Your write-up on producing Latin accessible took me back about 60 decades. A report on the BBC’s Right now programme described a Latin teacher who translated the words of the Herman’s Hermits hit She’s a Will have to to Prevent to aid his pupils find out. As I remember, the title was translated as Steer clear of Ladies. Oh nicely, nihil sub sole novum.
Dr Richard Towers
Sheffield