Latin translation: "courage in the face of fear"

March 24, 2021 5:46 PM

If you're confident in your Latin fluency, please help!

I tried Google Translate, but when I fed it back its translation, the phrase changed again. (Presume this usually happens, though.)

Want to make sure the translation is correct before I permanently print it on a bunch of items.

ICYW, the Google translation: "animi in facie timoris"

posted by shrimpetouffee to Writing & Language (4 answers total)

A Latinist with a bit more literary background may be able to back me up on this, but I think the idea of courage you're looking for is more covered by the word "virtus". Virtus was also a god, that personified, well, courage.

I don't believe "in facie" is idiomatic in Latin.

So I would go with virtus contra terrorem to start with.
posted by rpophessagr at 6:47 PM on March 24, 2021

“In the face of” isn’t going to mean anything metaphorical in actual Latin - I mean you’re obviously not trying to communicate with native Latin speakers so you could just translate the words literally, but I wouldn’t. It’s been a decade since I studied it so I can’t recommend anything specific but let me think about if there are any existing quotes/phrases you could base it on.
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:54 PM on March 24, 2021

“Ad [thing] per [thing]” is a common construction meaning “to/toward [thing] through [thing],” as in “ad astra per aspera,” “to the stars through difficulties.” You could go with “to courage through fear” (someone else will have to help with the exact translations of the words!)
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:07 PM on March 24, 2021

in timorem audacia (against fear, boldness) could work
posted by mahorn at 7:44 PM on March 24, 2021