Latin Mottos

[The Glyphstone]

Anyone here speak Latin, at least proficiently enough to figure out how to translate a motto into Latin without mangling it too badly?

[KinnetDynamon]

I do! I have grad level experience with Latin translation; would be glad to help out.

[The Glyphstone]

Well, that was quick.:smallbiggrin:


K then - what would be the best translation of the phrase "With Great Appetite Comes Great Responsibility"?

[Keld Denar]

It hungers for the souls of the living! It will turn you into popcorn in its infernal machine and then devour you with a light coating of butter and salt!

RUN!!!!!!

EDIT: Latin is so hipster. Real men use (ancient) greek.

[KinnetDynamon]

Magna cupidine (or appetitione) venit c*m magna peitate. The * represents a 'u' because the board censors the word.

That is literal and grammatically correct. A great appetite comes with great responsibility.

But something more figurative and efficient translation would be:

Esuriens praestet.

The hungry person should be responsible.

or

Esuriens cohereat diligens.

Being hungry is bound together with using moderation.

A hungry man who uses moderation is harmonious. That is a better translation.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

EDIT: Latin is so hipster. Real men use (ancient) greek.

Hell yes. :smallbiggrin:

[KinnetDynamon]

EDIT: Latin is so hipster. Real men use (ancient) greek.

I can do that as well...though I do not have my Greek resources as handy.

Epithumein estin einai swphrwn.

To hunger means to have moderation.

[The Glyphstone]

It's destined for a heraldric crest, so efficiency is not necessarily a concern. Much appreciated on the translation.

Edit: Also, the literal translation seems to fit better, because the 'responsibility' I'm thinking of is the 'duty' sense rather than the 'moderation' sense.

[KinnetDynamon]

It's destined for a heraldric crest, so efficiency is not necessarily a concern. Much appreciated on the translation.

Edit: Also, the literal translation seems to fit better, because the 'responsibility' I'm thinking of is the 'duty' sense rather than the 'moderation' sense.

Fair enough.

I should probably make a small addendum if you want something truly literal.

C*m magna appetitione venit magna peitas.
With great hunger comes great duty.

The original version is less 'grammatical' and more poetic because it is a play on words, in case anyone wants to correct you. It is a complex construction that shows duty and appetite as having a close relationship. But people are more likely to point out that it is "wrong".

Sorry, I am infamous for not being able to give simple answers.

[Kneenibble]

I think you're being too fancy and vague with your figurative translations and too direct with your literal translation.

I'd suggest "libido magna magnum officium gignit." I think it hits the flavour of the English idiom you're riffing much more closely. - a great appetite begets a great responsibility/duty. Better Latinitas too, if I do say so myself.

[KinnetDynamon]

I think you're being too fancy and vague with your figurative translations and too direct with your literal translation.

I'd suggest "libido magna magnum officium gignit." I think it hits the flavour of the English idiom you're riffing much more closely. - a great appetite begets a great responsibility/duty. Better Latinitas too, if I do say so myself.

Perhaps, but others are free to volunteer their suggestion as well. I was copying a specific construction I had seen before for this sort of aphorism. It's not as though heraldry is known for using the plain and simple Latin, especially considering what medieval Latin sounds like.

Yours sounds like Cicero, whose style is often seen as the pinnacle of Latinitas, but I was not going for Cicero.

[Aedilred]

From what I understand of heraldry, and having met a herald in person who basically confirmed this, they will miss no opportunity to insert as many puns, plays-on-words, in-jokes and what have you into crests, mottoes and the like as they physically can. So poetic/fancy/whimsical are all doubleplus good.

In whatever case, I'd be tempted to play with the word order a bit. Move "venit" to the end and so forth. You might be able to get a motto that rolls off the tongue more pleasantly without changing the meaning.

[dehro]

From what I understand of heraldry, and having met a herald in person who basically confirmed this, they will miss no opportunity to insert as many puns, plays-on-words, in-jokes and what have you into crests, mottoes and the like as they physically can. So poetic/fancy/whimsical are all doubleplus good.

In whatever case, I'd be tempted to play with the word order a bit. Move "venit" to the end and so forth. You might be able to get a motto that rolls off the tongue more pleasantly without changing the meaning.

this does reminds me rather a lot of one of the Discworld novels.. Feet of Clay if I remember correctly.

as for the motto..I haven't translated any latin or into latin in..uhm...13-14 years..but how about "magna c*m cupiditatis, ingens conscientia advenit"

[The Glyphstone]

Now the tricky part - finding someone who's able and willing to draw a heraldic crest, or a reasonable imitation of one. To the A&C subforum!

[Mauve Shirt]

My latin motto is "veni vidi velociraptor"

[Asta Kask]

I'd suggest "libido magna magnum officium gignit." I think it hits the flavour of the English idiom you're riffing much more closely. - a great appetite begets a great responsibility/duty. Better Latinitas too, if I do say so myself.

I'm sorry, Kneenibble, but if you use the term libido people will only think of one appetite.

[Archonic Energy]

i've always liked St John Ambulance's motto "Pro Utilitate Hominum"
though it's primary motto "Pro Fide" is seen as more of a relic of a bygone era

I have "Deus per Scientia" on my FB page though i might change that to "Pro Scientia" if my translation is correct

[Claudius Maximus]

I am pleased to see how little this thread needed me.

[Kneenibble]

Perhaps, but others are free to volunteer their suggestion as well. I was copying a specific construction I had seen before for this sort of aphorism. It's not as though heraldry is known for using the plain and simple Latin, especially considering what medieval Latin sounds like.
Mottos do strive for economy and poetic clarity, however, which is close to what Latinitas aims for. I don't mean to be rude, my dear fellow Roman, but I do not think your translations took across what the English version intends.


I'm sorry, Kneenibble, but if you use the term libido people will only think of one appetite.
It has a broader meaning in Latin. Not that I can resist a little tangens duplex however:smalltongue:

[Aedilred]

this does reminds me rather a lot of one of the Discworld novels.. Feet of Clay if I remember correctly.

Yeah, the heralds in Feet of Clay seem to have been based pretty closely on the reality.

[comicshorse]

Well, that was quick.:smallbiggrin:


K then - what would be the best translation of the phrase "With Great Appetite Comes Great Responsibility"?

Who the heck wants that as their motto and why ?

[Suicidal Charge]

The Glyphstone does. And he is an eldritch horror.

[Asta Kask]

It has a broader meaning in Latin. Not that I can resist a little tangens duplex however:smalltongue:

Oh, absolutely. That's not my point, however. People will point at 'libido' and go 'huh... huhhuhuh... he said libido..."

[Pie Guy]

Ok, how about translating "For the win"?

[Eldan]

Well, "For Victory" is easy, but something as, well, intentionally wrong as "For the Win" requires a bit of creative interpretation.

[Asta Kask]

How about "All your base are belong to us!"

[Lady Tialait]

Heh, my Dad's motto is always amusing.

"Vedi, Vidi, Vici: merda fuit" I might have misspelled something, but a Latin class I almost finished...well that was the reason I didn't finish it, that offend the teacher.

[Nix Nihila]

Heh, my Dad's motto is always amusing.

"Vedi, Vidi, Vici: merda fuit" I might have misspelled something, but a Latin class I almost finished...well that was the reason I didn't finish it, that offend the teacher.

Really? That hardly seems offensive (assuming I've translated it correctly), although I suppose I'm not familiar with the level of rudeness of "merda."

[Kneenibble]

Heh, my Dad's motto is always amusing.

"Vedi, Vidi, Vici: merda fuit" I might have misspelled something, but a Latin class I almost finished...well that was the reason I didn't finish it, that offend the teacher.

"Merda fuit" is actually an extant phrase in classical literature somewhere, so it shouldn't have offended anybody that much. I'm sure it could be made far worse. :smallwink:

[Howler Dagger]

Could somebody translate: A meteor shower a day keeps the heroes away!

If you don't get it, in Titan Quest Typhon (whom my avatar is based on) had a meteor shower that had a reputation of one-shotting you.

[The Underlord]

Dont forget that any OTHER meteor storm also one-shotted you.