Author Topic: Latin Translations  (Read 8222 times)

Offline Uilos

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Latin Translations
« on: July 13, 2009, 01:49:17 AM »
Anyone here good with Latin Translations, or have a decent resource they could recommend? I'm working on a project and wanted to use a Latin title for it.

The title is "Death of Shadows"

Any help is appreciated

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Offline Shecky

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2009, 01:56:31 AM »
Might want to specify exactly what you mean (I don't know Latin, but I'm a professional translator and I know where problems often arise). For example, do you mean "death BY shadows" (i.e., killing by way of shadows) or "shadow's death" (i.e., the killing of shadows themselves)?
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Offline Uilos

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2009, 02:02:38 AM »
The latter, Shadow's Death
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Offline Starbeam

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2009, 02:44:25 AM »
Anyone here good with Latin Translations, or have a decent resource they could recommend? I'm working on a project and wanted to use a Latin title for it.

The title is "Death of Shadows"

Any help is appreciated



Looking around at a couple Latin translators online, it's coming up umbra nex.  I'm not too certain about the meaning of nex; I don't remember where I put my Latin dictionary.  I would go with umbra mortis, though that would be a rough translation.  I don't know if umbra would be the correct form of the word to use.
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Offline Uilos

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2009, 04:15:48 AM »
Found a LtoE dictionary from University of Notre Dame. Nex/necis means Violent Death.

Thank you both!
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It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning. It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion.

Offline Suilan

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2009, 06:52:28 AM »
It would be "Mors Umbrae" or "Nex Umbrae" though -- umbrae means "of (the) shadow" (genitive case=possessive)


Umbra mortis means: the shadow of death. And umbra necis: shadow of murder/violent death

Besides shadow, umbra means illusion, apparition, ghost, or spirit of a dead person (which in Greek/Roman mythology are nothing but shadows), but also shade, leisure, private life  --  so the title is rather ambiguous.


If you need more help with Latin, you could ask here:

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Offline Starbeam

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2009, 11:34:15 AM »
It would be "Mors Umbrae" or "Nex Umbrae" though -- umbrae means "of (the) shadow" (genitive case=possessive)

Yah, that would be right.  Don't know how I got the words switched.  I could be wrong, since I never really did English to Latin, but I think both words have to be the same case.

Found a LtoE dictionary from University of Notre Dame. Nex/necis means Violent Death.

Thank you both!

That's the one I generally go to, I believe.
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Offline Shecky

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2009, 02:42:55 PM »
Ask neurovore - they've said more than once that they're fluent in Latin.
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Offline meg_evonne

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2009, 07:37:37 PM »
http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=English&to=Latin

Okay, huge disclaimer.  I never took latin.  My son did but from what I understand Latin existed as a language for so many centuries that even if you know latin--it will still be different depending on the Roman Era you decide to draw it from.  On this site you just enter your phrase and it pops out.  Free and easy.  Sometimes the translation is humorous so I have to search around in the thesaurus and keep plugging them in until I get something that sounds--uhm serious?  magical enough?  something that doesn't evoke modern slang?  You get the idea. Hope it helps.  I found it years ago through google search.
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Offline the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2009, 08:23:43 PM »
Ask neurovore - they've said more than once that they're fluent in Latin.

I would not go so far as to say fluent, but enough for most plausible uses; nothing to add to what Suilan's posted here, though.
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Offline novium

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2009, 09:38:16 PM »
My advice for do-it-yourself latin translations: buy a copy of wheelock, and download the most wonderful little program ever created in the history of the world*: "Words", at http://erols.com/whitaker/words.htm . It's a latin/english dictionary...and it'll also tell you what part of speech things are, etc.

*at least, that's how it seemed when I was having to do a lot of translation.
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Offline Shecky

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2009, 09:56:37 PM »
My advice? Don't ever use a translation program or bilingual dictionary unless you know the language well enough to translate it yourself. That leads to things like "The wine was good, but the meat was spoiled" and "I marched comforter the risers" (the first via two-way bilingual-dictionary "translation" of "The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak", the second of "I walked down the steps"). Translation programs stink, and bilingual dictionaries are SUPPORT tools; neither one should be a primary resource.
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Offline Starbeam

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2009, 10:02:17 PM »
My advice for do-it-yourself latin translations: buy a copy of wheelock, and download the most wonderful little program ever created in the history of the world*: "Words", at http://erols.com/whitaker/words.htm . It's a latin/english dictionary...and it'll also tell you what part of speech things are, etc.

*at least, that's how it seemed when I was having to do a lot of translation.

Yup, that, along with the Notre Dame online dictionary mentioned earlier, are the two that I go to, and that I used when I was taking Latin.  English to Latin is probably always going to be very rough because the grammar is different, though you might have an easier time of it if you live/work in the Vatican.

My advice? Don't ever use a translation program or bilingual dictionary unless you know the language well enough to translate it yourself. That leads to things like "The wine was good, but the meat was spoiled" and "I marched comforter the risers" (the first via two-way bilingual-dictionary "translation" of "The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak", the second of "I walked down the steps"). Translation programs stink, and bilingual dictionaries are SUPPORT tools; neither one should be a primary resource.

Hehe...I hate trying to use translator programs.  Most of the ones I've found only do one, maybe two words at a time.  I'm reminded by this conversation that I bought a Latin version of Harry Potter.  I think I had trouble trying to translate the second sentence.
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Offline Uilos

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2009, 11:47:11 PM »
My advice? Don't ever use a translation program or bilingual dictionary unless you know the language well enough to translate it yourself. That leads to things like "The wine was good, but the meat was spoiled" and "I marched comforter the risers" (the first via two-way bilingual-dictionary "translation" of "The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak", the second of "I walked down the steps"). Translation programs stink, and bilingual dictionaries are SUPPORT tools; neither one should be a primary resource.

That's why I came here first
Thanks all!
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It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning. It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion.

Offline Shecky

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Re: Latin Translations
« Reply #14 on: July 14, 2009, 01:45:28 AM »
Yup. When it comes to language, people ARE the best primary resource.
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Quote from: Stanton Infeld
Well, if you couldn't do that with your bulls***, Leonard, I suspect the lad's impervious.