[Sca-cooks] Re: Trans. Criteria 3 pages???

[Jennifer Thompson]

> Kateryn de Develyn

>
> Includes period documents which have been translated
>  to modern English.  Entries must be typed.
>  Limit 3 pages; if work is longer,
> entrants may specify a section of up to 3 pages for judging.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I cannot see how any competent translation with appropriate notes
> can fit within a requirement of three pages.
>

perhaps I mis read the original but it seems that the limit is on the
*section...for judging* (emphasis mine). Yes, an entry would obviously not
include the pages of documentation, original, etc in the *section to be
judged*. A glass of mead is to be judged. The documentation accompanies it.
While they are judged together, the research is not the translation.

> For example, Constance Hieatt and Rudolf Grewe's new 2001
> work LIBELLUS DE ARTE COQUINARIA:  AN EARLY NORTHERN
> COOKERY BOOK ... This
> collection of 35 short recipes requires a text of 158 pages.
>
> How does one condense such scholarship into just three pages?
>
> Johnnae llyn Lewis
>
> Johnna Holloway
>

One cannot condense a scholarly publication and years of work into three
pages. One can, however, set up the minimum and maximum requirements for a
hobbyist's competition. Perhaps, again, I am mis-understanding the point,
but it seems to me that these rules are for open competitions in A&S events?


I recognize that there are members of this list who are capable of, and
indeed have done, such scholarly work. While I cannot imagine attempting an
undertaking on the scale of Thomas Longshanks Catalan project, I can
(did/will) attempt smaller, shorter, less complicated, (pick your limiting
phrase here) projects - a single recipe, or a few pages, or even a chapter
of recipes, but omitting "medicinal" recipes. I recognize that there may be
competitions where I will tenderly bring my little file of paper (your
aforementioned 3 pages to be judged, four pages of original, 4 pages of
footnotes, etc) and lay it gently next to your behemoth of 158 pages of
several years work. I do not expect to win against such scholarship (as the
final subjective criteria would guarantee), but I do expect to be judged on
my work.

I stand in respectful awe of the work that others have done. I would no more
expect to win a translating contest against Constance Hieatt than I would
expect to win a cooking contest against Adamantius or fell Gunthar with
rattan. However, Gunthar trains students (even near-sighted klutzes), Ruadh
has very kindly encouraged my attempts at dyeing and weaving and I would
hope that Kateryn's (or, rather Calontir's) attempt to encourage translation
within the SCA by deliniating the judging criterion similarly encourages
would be translators and researchers.

Yours In Service to the Society,
Lann