I know this has probably been on here a thousand times and sorry if there are rules against it that I didn’t bother to read.
I’m interested in getting my first tattoo and I would love to get it in Latin. My friend is currently minoring in latin so I have her working on it but I plan on asking this question in at least 5 places before I even consider getting it.
I know translation can get very messy in terms of meaning from language to language so I’m not looking for and exact quote. I’m looking for something that can encompass the meaning that these sayings convey.
“Follow your own god.”
“In your own god lies truth.”
“Follow your own path.”
“Think for yourself.”
The second quote is my main focus I really like the way it sounds in English but im sure theres no way to get that exact meaning in Latin so I put in the other quotes in there to help further understanding of the meaning I get from it.
I know there are places to pay to get things translated but I think that its a little silly…language should be free in my opinion.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated no matter how amateur it may be.
End note- Yes I tend more toward Atheism so I apologize to any religous persons that may read this and be offended
Hi Hockey
Yes I believe in God and no I am not offended – you can believe or disbelieve as much as you like.
I will get my latin dictionary and grammar books out and see if I can sort you some translations ( I used to study latin but years back so need the refresher) – although it is late here so will likely be tomorrow.
Anyhow Take Care
Matthew
Yes I believe in God and no I am not offended – you can believe or disbelieve as much as you like.
I will get my latin dictionary and grammar books out and see if I can sort you some translations ( I used to study latin but years back so need the refresher) – although it is late here so will likely be tomorrow.
Anyhow Take Care
Matthew
Thanks so much! That would be awesome. I would love to be able to study the language, but I’ve never had the chance, sadly.
Hi
Damn I had forgotten how much I hate latin lol 😀
Ok for the first quote the thing to remember is that ‘you/your’ has several words in latin depending on whether it is a pronoun or adjective and partive or objective.
In plain english you have to decide whether ‘your’ is something that you are a part of (eg group family belief)
Partitive – of you (where you are part of something): eg one of you is going to get hurt. unus vestrum.
Or
The ‘you/your’ is something that is objective to you – outside of yourself – usually in terms of feelings or opinion about something. Not belief/faith as that is part of you.
Objective – of you (where you stand as the object): eg my love of you is very great. amor meus vestri.
😮
Translations
I based the translation based on the pronoun and partive because you are a part of your beleifs;
Follow your own god.
Insisto vestri own deus.
Insisto – to enter upon, to persist in, tread, follow, urge
vestri – your, yours (as in belonging to be a part of)
own – same as english
deus – God
Ok the second one is not easy as you have truth meaning several things;
In your own god lies truth.
In vestri own deus lays verum.
In – Same
vestri – – your, yours (as in belonging to be a part of)
own – same as english
deus-God
lies – Same. I would change to lays though as lies is present tense and would suggest something which is not eternal whereas lays would suggest it has always been.
Ok Truth _choose some bloody hard statements!
Verum – truth, truly, in fact – Plautus and Republican literature, it meant “true” in the sense of firm, capable of withstanding a test or trial. (Old Latin). I chose this one as I feels it meets the translation correctly as in a iffefutable fact that cannot be altered and would survive any trial.
Veritas – truthfulness, truth – human behaviour or characteristic. ‘I saw in his face veritas’.
Follow your own path.
Insisto vestri own semita.
Insisto – to enter upon, to persist in, tread, follow, urge
vestri – your, yours (pronoun)
Own – Same
semita – byway, by-way, path, footpath, foot-path, track (all paths)
bicallis – footpath, foot-path (specific)
Think for yourself.
Reputo pro vestri.
Reputo – to reckon, reflect upon, impute, think, judge, to believe, suppose (personal)
pro-for, before
vestri – yourself (as in yours belonging to)
I chose reputo because the other words have different inflections;
Arbitror (think – general)
Puto to clear, settle up, consider, think, believe, suppose, judge
Credo to believe, trust, commit, trust in, rely on, think
Ok if you got to the bottom of this post I hope it helps and at least gives your friend something to test out their latin on.
I do not claim this to be 100% as it has been years since I studied Latin but I have spent an hour checking out the construction.
Get it checked before you ink!
Hope it helps.
Take Care
Matthew
Damn I had forgotten how much I hate latin lol 😀
Ok for the first quote the thing to remember is that ‘you/your’ has several words in latin depending on whether it is a pronoun or adjective and partive or objective.
In plain english you have to decide whether ‘your’ is something that you are a part of (eg group family belief)
Partitive – of you (where you are part of something): eg one of you is going to get hurt. unus vestrum.
Or
The ‘you/your’ is something that is objective to you – outside of yourself – usually in terms of feelings or opinion about something. Not belief/faith as that is part of you.
Objective – of you (where you stand as the object): eg my love of you is very great. amor meus vestri.
😮
Translations
I based the translation based on the pronoun and partive because you are a part of your beleifs;
Follow your own god.
Insisto vestri own deus.
Insisto – to enter upon, to persist in, tread, follow, urge
vestri – your, yours (as in belonging to be a part of)
own – same as english
deus – God
Ok the second one is not easy as you have truth meaning several things;
In your own god lies truth.
In vestri own deus lays verum.
In – Same
vestri – – your, yours (as in belonging to be a part of)
own – same as english
deus-God
lies – Same. I would change to lays though as lies is present tense and would suggest something which is not eternal whereas lays would suggest it has always been.
Ok Truth _choose some bloody hard statements!
Verum – truth, truly, in fact – Plautus and Republican literature, it meant “true” in the sense of firm, capable of withstanding a test or trial. (Old Latin). I chose this one as I feels it meets the translation correctly as in a iffefutable fact that cannot be altered and would survive any trial.
Veritas – truthfulness, truth – human behaviour or characteristic. ‘I saw in his face veritas’.
Follow your own path.
Insisto vestri own semita.
Insisto – to enter upon, to persist in, tread, follow, urge
vestri – your, yours (pronoun)
Own – Same
semita – byway, by-way, path, footpath, foot-path, track (all paths)
bicallis – footpath, foot-path (specific)
Think for yourself.
Reputo pro vestri.
Reputo – to reckon, reflect upon, impute, think, judge, to believe, suppose (personal)
pro-for, before
vestri – yourself (as in yours belonging to)
I chose reputo because the other words have different inflections;
Arbitror (think – general)
Puto to clear, settle up, consider, think, believe, suppose, judge
Credo to believe, trust, commit, trust in, rely on, think
Ok if you got to the bottom of this post I hope it helps and at least gives your friend something to test out their latin on.
I do not claim this to be 100% as it has been years since I studied Latin but I have spent an hour checking out the construction.
Get it checked before you ink!
Hope it helps.
Take Care
Matthew
Wow that was INCREDIBLY helpful I can’t thank you enough for putting the time into that. I will have her look at that for sure. I was wondering though, you took the words I quoted and tried to translate them directly. I dont know how fluent with Latin you are, but do you think you can take the combined meaning of them and merge them into something that truly would make sense in Latin. I don’t want this to be an English saying translated into Latin so it looks cool, I want this to be almost a round-up of my beliefs and truly expressed in Latin because it is the root of so many languages.
Hi Hockey
I am not 100% in Latin anymore as it has been over 10 years since I studied it and had little use for it since then.
That is why I would recommend you check it as memory and books only take you so far.
As for the 100% meaning in Latin because English is so immersed in the root of Greek, Latin, French you would not lose the meaning if you had a English phrase translated – after all all linguistcs have to translate at some point.
I could come up with many phrases that may suggest your beliefs in summary – but only you really know your own beliefs – that is why it has to come from within yourself.
If you have a phrase in English that really summarises yourself then I certain that it can be translated to Latin. There are only a handful of modern words that would struggle to fit into Latin fully.
Take your time it will come to you.
Matthew
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