NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm sure that there are lots of users out there, like me, who want a Latin motto for their nation, but have little or no knowledge of Latin and are hacing trouble (like I did) finding a decent Latin translation engine on the net. I think it would be useful to either provide such a translation engine on the signup page for new users, or at least to link to an existing site with such a facility.

Does anyone agree?

Lewdor.

I use the D&D Draconic language... but I don't know of a translator for either...

I don't understand why the game should provide language translators when you could just go to www.google.com (Google) type in "latin translator" and get tons of translators.

Not a moderator. I have no say in anything Technical of the game. The moderators can choose to nullify what I say anytime, anyday, anywhere.

I'm sure that there are lots of users out there, like me, who want a Latin motto for their nation, but have little or no knowledge of Latin and are hacing trouble (like I did) finding a decent Latin translation engine on the net. I think it would be useful to either provide such a translation engine on the signup page for new users, or at least to link to an existing site with such a facility.

Does anyone agree?

Lewdor.
then we wil have people asking for every type of translator, and then they will be used once, and never touched again. As the person who posted before me said, google...

hey, if youn really can't find a translator, MS word 2003 has one in it:
Viva e lasci il dado

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

A large list of Latin phrases (http://www.yuni.com/library/latin.html). Some silly, some historical, some pretty standard. Including my favorite: Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est.

Oddly enough, it doesn't have my motto ("Vae puto deus fio") in it...

I found the tranexp one too, but it hardly ever works (server overloaded) and isn't all that accurate (there were quite a few words it couldn't translate, doesn't seem to have a very big dictionary).
In any case, I just thought that a link on the signup page to translation engines for English > Latin (and Draconis and any other languages you care to mention) would be a nice touch, since I was looking for ages for a latin translator and the only decent one was tranexp (see above for criticism).

Well, there's my 2 cents...

http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=English&to=Latin
That one isn't very good at all... type in:

"I am a cat." and it comes back with

"EGO sum a cattus"

Well... a definately doesn't mean "a" in Latin, in any context, and according to my Oxford Latin Dictionary "Cattus" isn't even a Latin word. It's just taken a word it doesnt know and added "tus" onto the end to try to fool people who don't have a clue about the language.

*shrug*

It seems to me that the best way to go about this is to:

1) use prepackaged Latin phrases said at one point in time by famous Romans
2) ask someone to translate it for you here
3) invest in Wheelock's Latin and a good Latin dictionary :P

I know some Latin; if you want, you can send me your motto, and I'll try to translate it for you.

you could with the classic line

Julius Caesar

"Veni Vidi Vici" I came, i saw, i conquered, you'll have to check the spelling

Ah! Another Latin speaker! Well, I'm afraid i've forgotten all of mine, but if it's urgent I could dig up my old dictionary. My countries' (don't worry mods. Only one's a UN member!) both have Latin motto's.
Copra Sanctum, The guy next to Jesus on the cross's words when he heard he was to be crucified; Translates as "Holy $#!t"
Ex Salus Brittanicum: Translates as "Out of Britain comes hope"