Re: OT: Is your Latin Fu mighty?

From: Stephen Tempest <e-g_at_...>
Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:57:11 +0100


Nick Eden <nick_at_...> writes:

>Google's suggested computer translation is
>
>*perimo lemma quod take suum aurum*
>
>No idea how clunkly that would read to a proper latin speaker

That translation is... almost unbelievably, comically bad. ;-)

"perimo lemma quod take suum aurum" means "I destroy the theme because - be quiet! - his gold."

(I'm assuming 'take' is an alternative spelling of 'tace' there - although to be honest, it looks like Google Translate just glitched and left the word 'take' in English.)

>>A friend of mine needs the phrase
>> "to slay them and take their gold" translated into Latin,

My version - and I welcome more expert correction - would be: Eos necare et aurum eis rapere.

Latin has lots of different words for 'to kill' and 'to take' - the Romans were violent people. 'Rapere' means 'to take' in the sense of 'to take violently, to seize, to pillage' - it's the origin of the English words 'rapine' and 'rape' - and something liike 'prendere' might be more neutral if you prefer.

Stephen

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