amandag Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 me and my brothers are getting tattoos for our father that just passed away and we wanted to get "to my father" translated into latin...does anybody know how to say that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 me and my brothers are getting tattoos for our father that just passed away and we wanted to get "to my father" translated into latin...does anybody know how to say that? Sorry we were slow to answer. You can say PATRI MEO. That's pater = father, meus = my, both words in the dative case which gives the meaning "to ..." It is possible to reverse the order of the words, but PATRI MEO would be the most usual. OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amandag Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 me and my brothers are getting tattoos for our father that just passed away and we wanted to get "to my father" translated into latin...does anybody know how to say that? Sorry we were slow to answer. You can say PATRI MEO. That's pater = father, meus = my, both words in the dative case which gives the meaning "to ..." It is possible to reverse the order of the words, but PATRI MEO would be the most usual. OK? so does that mean that ad patri meo doesn't make sense? or pro patri meo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silentium Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 so does that mean that ad patri meo doesn't make sense? Well, not for what you want to say. You can only use Ad+accusativus in alternative to simple dativus, so if you want to use ad you have to say "Ad patrem meum" or simply "ad patrem". Pro patri meo is incorrect because pro always needs an ablative, in fact my suggestion in the other thread was pro patrE meo. I suggested the forms with "pro" for the sole motivation that I have seen them in commemorative inscriptions and they are for no reason to be preferred to the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludovicus Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 (edited) The saying "Life is beautiful," doesn't hit me as a very Roman thought. Frankly, it doesn't seem very Italian either, despite its use in an Italian movie. "Life is difficult," is more like it. "Life is tricky," maybe. "Life is to be dominated," better. "Life is to be put into order," very Roman. Or "Life is a patron-client relationship," very Roman culturally. I'm not criticizing the translation of "Life is beautiful." We've got the right to use any language to translate any thought. It's just that the idea of proclaiming life as beautiful seems very un-Roman. What do others think? Edited July 30, 2007 by Ludovicus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 The saying "Life is beautiful," doesn't hit me as a very Roman thought. Frankly, it doesn't seem very Italian either, despite its use in an Italian movie. "Life is difficult," is more like it. "Life is tricky," maybe. "Life is to be dominated," better. "Life is to be put into order," very Roman. Or "Life is a patron-client relationship," very Roman culturally. I'm not criticizing the translation of "Life is beautiful." We've got the right to use any language to translate any thought. It's just that the idea of proclaiming life as beautiful seems very un-Roman. What do others think? Salve, L! Publius Vergilius Maro didn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludovicus Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 The saying "Life is beautiful," doesn't hit me as a very Roman thought. Frankly, it doesn't seem very Italian either, despite its use in an Italian movie. "Life is difficult," is more like it. "Life is tricky," maybe. "Life is to be dominated," better. "Life is to be put into order," very Roman. Or "Life is a patron-client relationship," very Roman culturally. I'm not criticizing the translation of "Life is beautiful." We've got the right to use any language to translate any thought. It's just that the idea of proclaiming life as beautiful seems very un-Roman. What do others think? Salve, L! Publius Vergilius Maro didn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Thanks for the link to the beautiful Eclogue IV. It's theme is about the future, the coming of a child (Christ, as was interpreted by Roman Christians), and a new golden age, not about life as it was then experienced. Salve, L! Glad you liked it. Oh, rest assured! It was no Christ. Anyway, maybe you shall prefer this one (among hundreds of examples): Eclogue VIII Cheers and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon522 Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 I have a translation request. I've had a hard time getting a consensus on a Latin translation for something my father said at his Best Man speech at my wedding: "Faith in Each Other; Hope for Tomorrow; Love for Today" I'd love to be able to put this somewhere. Even just part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maty Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 If this is for Trotsky. let us remember the famous words of his housekeeper when the assassin arrived Domine, quod est homo cerebrum suum volat excavare. (Sir, a man is here. He wants to pick your brain.) With grovelling apologies. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludovicus Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Just as "my father, my friend" has been pointed out as foreign to Roman thinking, I'd like to submit that "Life is beautiful" is similarly unRoman. Life, a struggle or duty or curse or an enigma perhaps. But not "beautiful." Additionally, I grew up with native born Italians and don't ever remember anyone voicing such a notion. What do others think of the slogan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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