Help with translation please?

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theinterpreter87
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Help with translation please?

Postby theinterpreter87 » 2011-09-24, 5:21

I am trying to, not only translate this quote into Latin, but utilize the letter "U" as many times as I can. Can you guys help me? :blush:
Here's the quote:
"You can break my heart, but you will never break my wings".

If it's possible, just translate it for me 1st without trying to use a bunch of "U"'s.
THEN 2ndly, manipulate it to try to use the letter U.

According to Google Translate, it's translated like this: "cor meum irritum fieri potest, sed numquam mihi pennas adspiret" But I don't kinow if that's correct at all. :(

PLEASE HELP.
The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. -Thomas Paine

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Bernard
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Re: Help with translation please?

Postby Bernard » 2011-09-24, 10:24

"You can break my heart, but you will never break my wings".
Merhaba, salve, amice!
Never trust google or any other translator; you’ll very often get nonsense, esp. in Latin!
In classical Latin cor = heart = physical part of the body; that’s why in metaphorical sense heart = animus. You must always translate idiomatically.
In Latin always U = V.
Version 1:
Animum meum potes frangere neque uero umquam incidere pennas.
ANIMVM MEVM POTES FRANGERE NEQVE VERO VMQVAM INCIDERE PENNAS:
(Lit.: You can break my heart, but never cut off my wings.)
Version 2:
Instead of frangere = to break you may use percutere = to strike, to smite:
Animum meum potes percutere neque uero umquam incidere pennas.
ANIMVM MEVM PERCVTERE POTES NEQVE VERO VMQVAM INCIDERE PENNAS.
:)

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Bernard
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Re: Help with translation please?

Postby Bernard » 2011-09-24, 14:04

Hello again!

I composed (just for fun! :ohwell: ) a so-called iambic trimeter as used by Roman dramatists (e.g. Seneca):

Animum potes dirumpere, haud pinnas meas.

(To be read as follows: Animúm potés dirúmper, haúd pinnás meás)

(Lit.: You can break in peaces my heart, not my wings.)

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Re: Help with translation please?

Postby theinterpreter87 » 2011-09-25, 18:59

WOW! :shock: You've really out done yourself!!!! Thank you so much :!: :!: :lol: :lol:
The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. -Thomas Paine

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theinterpreter87
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Re: Help with translation please?

Postby theinterpreter87 » 2012-03-15, 23:27

I also got this translation from a professional site. What do you think about this?

"cor meum frangere potes, sed numquam alas meas franges."

"you can break my heart, but you will never break my wings"
The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. -Thomas Paine

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Re: Help with translation please?

Postby Babelfish » 2012-03-16, 14:11

Sounds good, even rhymes :)

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theinterpreter87
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Re: Help with translation please?

Postby theinterpreter87 » 2012-03-16, 14:38

But it looks grammatically correct, right? :?:
The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. -Thomas Paine

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Re: Help with translation please?

Postby Babelfish » 2012-03-16, 15:03

Sure, otherwise I'd have corrected it (or tried to...)

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Re: Help with translation please?

Postby Quasus » 2012-03-25, 0:44

theinterpreter87 wrote:I also got this translation from a professional site. What do you think about this?

"cor meum frangere potes, sed numquam alas meas franges."

"you can break my heart, but you will never break my wings"


I don’t like how it sounds. It’s too straightforward, without any decoration. Repeated frangere and franges should be placed as close as possibly. The earlier a negation goes, the better, so I’d say neque umquam should be preferred to sed numquam. As for cor and alas, they could be placed at the beginning and the end of the sentence so as to emphasise the contrast. All in all, we have

cor meum potes frangere neque umquam franges alas meas.


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