Imbolc Hare Moon
Boy. Started working with translations I did a couple of months ago and it was hard. I’ve not been hitting it every day like I do when I’m on my rhythm. I don’t know why, but that matters. I’m way ahead of the work I need to do for my every two week times with Greg, by a hundred verses or so, a bit more. At this point when I work with him I’m tracking backwards over work I did well before. But that doesn’t explain the sluggishness. It really seems to be a function of staying at it, almost like staying in shape.
(Deucalion and Pyrrha Repeople the World by Throwing Stones Behind Them, c.1636 (oil on canvas) by Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640))
I would have gotten more done today if I hadn’t decided to fool around with Bittorrent Snyc, but there you are.
More review tomorrow morning, then an hour with Greg. He monitors my progress, fine tunes my work, keeps me attentive to things I miss. He also helps me with strategy about how to approach the task of translation. At this point that helps as much as particular work with the grammar.
Based on his guidance I always look first for the verbs, then the nominatives (subjects) and the accusatives (direct objects). If I get lost, I do a quick diagram to find my way back. There’s also been an interesting apprentice style aspect of his teaching where I listen to him go through a process of translation, use of the dictionary, what do when you’re stuck and mimic it. It’s been a surprisingly successful method of learning.
