A question for medieval historians!

P

Hi, I am finishing off a masters degree in medieval history, and have an idea for a phd. My question is, would I need to be proficient in Latin? I have been fortunate in my masters to find English translations of most of the sources I'm looking at, but I'm guessing for a phd I would need to study a greater range of materials. My Latin is almost non-existent, though I am considering doing a course in Latin before applying for a phd.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

T

My medieval historian friends are all doing latin courses and spend a lot of time translating, depends what particular area though I suppose. Can't hurt though, can it?

P

(Disclaimer - I'm not a medieval historian)
Yes, there will come a time when the source you need has not yet been translated. Also, the quality of existing translations/editions can vary, and you might well want to consult the manuscripts yourself.

With some Phd programmes you can do a module in Latin during the first year as part of research training - might be worth looking into as an alternative to taking time out beforehand to learn it?

J

but don't forget that you may still need someone to translate it for you as the latin you learn may not be the latin of the material , so although it amy help you with some things, others may well be too difficult. personally I hated latin and never got on with it at all, so maybe I'm biased

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