The June 2010 issue of The Finnish American Reporter had an interesting article, first in a series on traditions and customs of milestone events in Finland, called "Graduation day 'caps' a student's academic career." As many people probably know, Finnish is a non-Romance language, but many Finns themselves love Latin. I was interested to read the sidebar attached to the article on the basics of baccalaureate. To quote the sidebar: "The grades are –from top to bottom—laudatur (L), which can be given to only 5 percent of students; eximia cum laude approbatur (E); magna cum laude approbatur (M); cum laude approbatur (C); lubenter approbatur (B); approbatur (A); and improbatur (I), which indicates you didn't pass the exam."
How interesting are those grades! Not being familiar with baccalaureate in all its various forms, including the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which can be found in some US schools, I was interested in the levels and descriptions. A quick dash through the internet leads me to conclude that this system is mostly used in Finland. I like the distinctions that are made: (L): he/she is praised; (E): he/she is approved with excellent praise; (M): he/she is approved with great praise; (C): he/she is approved with praise; (B): he/she is approved gladly; ( A): he/she is approved; and (I) he/she is not approved/rejected. Of course, the verb could be interpreted impersonally to indicate that the exam paper is accepted or rejected. Just another interesting instance of ongoing Latin in the wide world.
