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SameOldStory · 09-01-2010, 02:57 PM

"Not quite sure I follow you here... Would you prefer the use of 'gladius' over 'short sword'?"

After introducing the word gladius as a short sword, yes. A judicious use of some common Latin words would add flavor to the story. If you would, try using the Danish equivalent of Centurion, Roman Cohort, or Legion.

For the US equivalents -
Centurion more or less = Colonel
A Roman Cohort, again, more or less = Battalion - 300 to 1,000 soldiers
A Legion more or less = Brigade - 3,000 to 5,000 solders. ( Normally commanded by a colonel)

Of course these are inaccurate equivalents as the Roman army changed over the years.

So lets try this -
The Centurion ordered his Cohort formed up, after which the Legion assembled for the march.

The colonel had the battalion formed up, after which the brigade assembled for the march.

Even if the second sentence was about a Roman army on the march, that is not the image that would be evoked.

Which is more interesting?
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
or
"The story of the old sailor"

"And would Australian and USA audiences be much more likely to know what a gladius is than a British audience? That's what I understand you are saying."

"In that Under the Eagle was his first "Roman" book, written for a UK audience, I can make allowances for simplifications."

That was poorly stated. I meant that to simplify the story so that it would read more easily, some British colloquialisms and idioms were used. Were this done with American or Australian idioms, people in the UK would notice it too.

As I'm sure that had it been written by a Dane using Danish idioms all three would decide that it wasn’t what they were used to. That's not a complaint. You have to write to your audience, and his was British.

"It's not that I can't understand the need for accuracy, but too much of it kills the story."

True. The authors job is to tell a story, not teach Latin. But as in my first point, slowly introducing the language into the story enhances the flavor of that story.

Imagine an old time (US) mobster story without the use of such words and phrases such as "packing iron", "doll", "bumped off", "a new racket", "joint", etc. Substitute the correct words and the old time flavor is lost.

09-01-2010, 02:57 PM	#23
SameOldStory My True Self Posts: 3,126 Karma: 66242098 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Trantor, Galactic Center Device: Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	"Not quite sure I follow you here... Would you prefer the use of 'gladius' over 'short sword'?" After introducing the word gladius as a short sword, yes. A judicious use of some common Latin words would add flavor to the story. If you would, try using the Danish equivalent of Centurion, Roman Cohort, or Legion. For the US equivalents - Centurion more or less = Colonel A Roman Cohort, again, more or less = Battalion - 300 to 1,000 soldiers A Legion more or less = Brigade - 3,000 to 5,000 solders. ( Normally commanded by a colonel) Of course these are inaccurate equivalents as the Roman army changed over the years. So lets try this - The Centurion ordered his Cohort formed up, after which the Legion assembled for the march. The colonel had the battalion formed up, after which the brigade assembled for the march. Even if the second sentence was about a Roman army on the march, that is not the image that would be evoked. Which is more interesting? "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" or "The story of the old sailor" "And would Australian and USA audiences be much more likely to know what a gladius is than a British audience? That's what I understand you are saying." "In that Under the Eagle was his first "Roman" book, written for a UK audience, I can make allowances for simplifications." That was poorly stated. I meant that to simplify the story so that it would read more easily, some British colloquialisms and idioms were used. Were this done with American or Australian idioms, people in the UK would notice it too. As I'm sure that had it been written by a Dane using Danish idioms all three would decide that it wasn’t what they were used to. That's not a complaint. You have to write to your audience, and his was British. "It's not that I can't understand the need for accuracy, but too much of it kills the story." True. The authors job is to tell a story, not teach Latin. But as in my first point, slowly introducing the language into the story enhances the flavor of that story. Imagine an old time (US) mobster story without the use of such words and phrases such as "packing iron", "doll", "bumped off", "a new racket", "joint", etc. Substitute the correct words and the old time flavor is lost.