Classics Honor Society Members Excel at Annual Translation Contest

by Paige Patton

Members of Eta Sigma Phi, a Classics honor society, recently participated in the Maurine Dallas Watkins Sight Translation Contest, and several students took home top honors.

The contest is held annually and tests students on their sight reading and interpretation of Greek, Koine Greek and Latin. Senior Dan Walin placed second of 30 entries in the Advanced Greek category and won first place of 65 entries in the Advanced Latin category. Walin also placed second of 28 participants in the Latin Prose category.

Freshman Jason Milam received first place of 65 applicants in the Advanced Latin contest, and senior Erik Ellis received an honorable mention in Koine Greek.

Eta Sigma Phi is a national Classics honor society with 88 chapters and more than 1,000 members. Students of Baylor's Gamma Omega chapter are selected by professors in the department based on performance over three semesters, according to Antony Augoustakis, Eta Sigma Phi adviser. At this year's competition, 12 students from Baylor participated. Each contest consisted of a two-hour exam in which the students translated and sight read passages without the aid of dictionaries or translating devices.

For more information about the contest and the participants, contact Augoustakis at 254-710-6021 or at Antonios_Augoustakis@baylor.edu.