The Sound of Sport: A Latin Translation of Hockey's Fast-paced Action and Examination of Classical Sporting Language

John V. Harrop
Dr. Amy Norgard, Faculty Mentor

Sport in antiquity occupied a substantial part of Greek and Roman life. From gladiatorial fighting to chariot racing to funeral gaming, human competition was captivating then and, within modern sporting events, it still is today. This paper is a translation of NBC's live commentary on game seven of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals by Doc Emrick, Pierre McGuire, and Eddie Olczyk from English into Latin. This translation explores a colloquial and discursive style of speaking which traditional prosaic authors like Caesar and Livy lack. The text challenges conventional prose with its quick, spurting sentence structure, conversational vocabulary, and unceasing breakneck pace. By researching Classical sources on ancient sport in tandem with this translation, I hope to explore the following questions: How might ancient audience members have discussed exciting sporting events, during or after the fact? How would atheltic skills have been coached? What is the ancient language of sporting action?

Keywords: Latin, Composition, Translation, Hockey, Commentary, Stanley Cup, Classics, Sport

Topic(s):Latin
Classics

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA