Who wrote the English? Teaching translation literacy in the Classics classroom

Students of Latin and Ancient Greek are frequently asked to analyse the effects of authors’ linguistic choices. Yet much of their access to classical literature is mediated through English translations whose choices may receive comparatively little attention. This article introduces translation literacy as the ability to recognise translation as an interpretive act and to examine its choices, alternatives, and consequences. Drawing on my experience as a GCSE Latin and Ancient Greek student, I argue that fluent English translations can create an impression of direct and uncomplicated access to an ancient text. I describe this gap between apparent access and critical understanding as false fluency. To address it, I propose TRACE, a classroom framework organised around five questions: text and transmission, range of meaning, alternatives, consequences, and evaluation. TRACE offers teachers and students a practical vocabulary for distinguishing the translated text from the original, discussing significant word choices and treating translation as a form of reasoned interpretation.