I would like a Latin translation of the terms: "I will wait for you
forever" and "Without you there is no life for me". My limited latin
provides me with the suggested formulations: 'ego in aeterno opperior
te', and 'sine te non est vita per me', the first of which I am most
unsure of. Please provide me with the correct translations. To be
overtly blunt: I am looking for answers from people at least
reasonably comfortable in applied Latin translation, not merely some
half-remembered highschool classes. Thanks very much. (In case anyone
is curious, these are two 'mottos' in a short story I am working on)

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Request for Question Clarification by alanna-ga on 14 Mar 2006 15:45 PST

Hi testing1234s-ga

Would you desire correct, idiomatic translations?  That is, the
translations would carry the sentiment exactly, but not be
word-for-word; in other words, literary rather than literal.

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Clarification of Question by testing1234s-ga on 14 Mar 2006 19:00 PST

I am looking for idiomatic, literary translation, not literal. Good
question, thanks.

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Clarification of Question by testing1234s-ga on 15 Mar 2006 07:29 PST

A proper, 'literary' or idiomatic answer to these two questions would
result in at least a 5 dollar tip. Should have priced it a bit higher.

Hello testing1234s-ga -

Thanks for clarifying your question.  

I consulted a Latin scholar who came up with what he termed "not only
correct,  but idiomatic" translations of your two mottos. That is,
they are not literal, but literary translations of your phrases.

Here goes:

(I have placed the literal translation of the Latin in brackets.)


"I will wait for you forever" translates  as:

	Expectans semper te expectabo [Waiting, I shall wait for you forever]


"Without you there is no life for me" translates as:

	Carens enim te vitan haudquaquam degusto [Lacking you, no way do I taste life]


I hope these translations suit your purpose.


Below are links to websites that may interest you.
 
 
Common expressions from the Latin (and other languages):

http://www.premier-net.com/Education/foreignexpressions.html


Some links to English translation of classical Latin texts:

http://nefer-seba.net/latin/Texts.php


Best of luck with your short story.

Alanna-ga

Thanks a lot, that was perfect, I appreciate the work, and the references.

I'm not a GA researcher so take my comments only for what they're
worth (but at least they're free...)

I think I'd translate "I will wait for you forever" as

"In aeternum tibi expectabo" or maybe

"In aeternum te opperiar"

I think I'm right (of course,) but I must confess that I'm a little
fuzzy with deponent verbs like "opperior" so (1) I'm not sure whether
they should take the accusative case "te" or the dative case "tibi"
and (2) I'm not certain I have the first peson future tense right with
"opperiar".  I'm a little more certain about the translation with
"expectabo", for what it's worth...


"Without you there is no life for me" I think I'd translate as

"Sine te pro me vita non est."

Though I suspect there might be a more elegant verb to use...mabe
"abesse" which means "to be absent" which I think in the third person
singular would be "abest" giving us

"Sine te pro me vita abest."  Which may or may not sound better to you...

Anyway, just free comments from a guy in the peanut gallery. Let some
official GA researcher come in to confirm, or provide a better answer!

Thanks a lot for the free comment. 'Sine te pro me vita abest' is a
much more interesting way of phrasing that, good advice. I did want to
use opperior, if only because it doesn't have the akward english
resonance of expectabo, or the brevity of manto (which I think also
sort of works?) but thanks for providing an alternative.

Cheers.