Comments on: English to Latin translation?

Question: English to Latin translation?

small_ruminant — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 09:20:39 -0800

Can anyone translate a phrase into Latin for me?

I'm making up a family-crest-like-thing that says on the top: " It could be worse ". Can anyone here put that in Latin for me?

even better if you can add " and has been " which I may put at the bottom.

By: killyb

killyb — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:07:14 -0800

if your desperate

http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=English&to=Latin

which translates your request to: is could exsisto peior

obviously not correct...but....with a bit of tinkering and research you could come up with something sorta correct...

By: phoenixy

phoenixy — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:18:08 -0800

My attempt: Sit peior (et fuerat)

A more naturalistic word order:

peior sit et fuerat

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:21:26 -0800

Thank you!

(I am afraid of the online translators.)

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:25:43 -0800

phoenixy, is it pronouced like it looks like it looks (to an American English speaker)?

By: stopgap

stopgap — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:59:32 -0800

Shouldn't that last word be fuit instead of fuerat? Present perfect instead of pluperfect? Or maybe that's no good because the translation would be ambiguous as either "was" or "has been."

By: nomis

nomis — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:39:51 -0800

My attempt: Sit peior (et fuerat)

I think that's wrong: I seem to recall the subjunctive is used to express wishes or desires, so this would mean "let it be worse".

My suggestion is that you use the verb posse 'to be able', so that you get something that literally translates as 'it is able to be worse': peior esse potest

By: nomis

nomis — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:41:34 -0800

As for 'and has been', I'd say: et sic erat antea (literally 'and it was thus before')

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:43:31 -0800

hmm. now I'm not sure which.

By: FelliniBlank

FelliniBlank — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:10:16 -0800

I think nomis has it; that phrase can translate more loosely as "it is possible for it to be worse."

By: Xelf

Xelf — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:42:30 -0800

You may want to watch the gender: peius is the neuter form (for "it could be worse") whereas peior indicates he/she could be worse. I would also omit the esse for just peius potest... mottos should go for simplicity, IMO.

"(And has been)" I'd do as "(fuitque)" -- the -que being a more graceful form of et.

By: nomis

nomis — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 19:01:42 -0800

Yeah, I wondered about the gender Xelf. I kind of took peior to be referring to an understood noun like vita 'life', but I think neuter peius is actually better.

By: phoenixy

phoenixy — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 19:14:55 -0800

I was going for a contrary-to-fact subjunctive, but nomis's translation sounds better anyway (and is definitely right on the aspect thing--I was wrong there with the pluperfect, although imperfect would probably work too).

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 22:38:09 -0800

thank you so much! I think I'll go with Xelf's since it's for a motto- nice and succint. But thanks to all of you.

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 22:41:10 -0800

succinct, I meant

By: verstegan

verstegan — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 03:43:00 -0800

None of these suggestions is quite right.

The first problem is that 'peius' usually means morally worse. The second problem is that it is being used here as a comparative adjective without any clear indication of what it refers to (i.e. you are saying 'it could be worse', but 'it' could be anything -- a house, a dog, a tree). What you actually mean, of course, is 'things could be worse' -- for which it would be more natural to say 'in peius' (as in Virgil, 'sic omnia fatis in peius ruere', 'everything gets worse') rather than using 'peius' on its own. So 'peius potest (fuitque)', if it means anything, would mean 'this thing is capable of getting more corrupt (and has been more corrupt)'. Which is not really what you mean.

One possible alternative would be 'in deterius cadere potest, et olim cecidimus' (literally, 'it is possible to fall into worse trouble, and in the past we have fallen'), which is a bit clunky but does get closer to your intended meaning.

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:52:41 -0800

okay. thanks. I'm glad I checked back in. I used to translate things (but not to or from Latin) so I know how many nuances you have to take into consideration for these things. Thank you.