The Campaign Builder's Guild

Have a question about Latin?  Ask away.

As a start, my signature means, "I think some people in togas are plotting against me."

EDIT: That was my old signature.  My new signature has a translation attached.

Do you do free translations?  Like, of specific words?

Yes.

Awesome.  I don't have anything to ask right now, but if I ever do, I'll ask you.

That's pretty cool. I can read a bit of Latin, but I wouldn't dream of trying to translate something into it. It seems we have a very knowledgeable community in terms of languages: Kalos Mer knows any dead language, CYMRO seems to have a hand at several languages as well, and now you.

Do you use Latin in your worlds?

Túrin

I use it to a small extent in Ari.

I can also serve as a translator if Limetom is unavaliable.

Very generous offer.  I'll have to keep it in mind.  I use Latin for Eliscia in Kishar, and it would also make sense for my alternate Earth game, if I ever get back to work on that.

Don't hesitate to ask.  Right now, changing my signature is the only practice I get.

*raises hand*

I'll attempt Welsh, French or Arabic translations, although I don't claim to be great at any of them.

This isn't so much a language as a mythology question. Chronus had other children before the Olympians. One group of children was the cyclopes. The other were these hundred-armed hundred-eyed giants. I need to know what the hundred-armed hundred-eyed giants were called. Or have I got that all wrong?

The Greeks called them the Hecatonchires, while the Romans called them the Centimani.  Their name means "one-hundred handed," and they are also described as having 50 heads, thus, 100 eyes.

They can be found in the Epic Level Handbook (or the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/abomination.htm#hecatoncheires).)

SWEET!

*poof*  I, too, offer my services as a scholar/translator of Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and Egyptian, and as a casual hobbyist in Classical Armenian, Persian and the ancient Germanic languages.

*unpoof*

Woah, did anybody see that?

*lame poof* I take french as a second language no guaruntees on literacy lol *poof* wheez wheez cough

i feel so lame in face of all these scholars

I speak english, go me!  Anyone who needs their english grammar sorted out, I am the man.

What was this thread about, again?  Fortasse I should ask the author... who was that?  :-P

A rant on why listening skills are important:

I came across the song Inner Universe, the theme for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and recognized Latin in it (along with English and Russian).

Me being me, I said, "Hey, I'd like to see at least a transcription if not a translation of this..."

The first one I found was:

QuoteÐÂaлйбÃ'Æ'иÃ''šÃ'Ã'' нaлйбÃ'Æ'иÃ''šÃ'Ã'
Aeria gloris, aeria gloris

Mana du vortes, mana du vortes
Aeria gloris, aeria gloris[/quote]looks[/i] like Latin, but it isn't.  The top line is an incorrect transcription, and the bottom line is gibberish.  After listening to the song myself, I came up with ths:

QuoteMana tu fortis, mana tu fortis
Aeria gloris, aeria gloris

Mana tu fortis, mana tu fortis
Aeria glora, aeria glora[/quote]You strongly flow, you strongly flow
With lofty glory, with lofty glory[/quote]that[/i] great at them, but some mistakes I see, especially in Latin, are just so dumb that someone who spent 10 minutes acutally learning the language wouldn't make them.

Quote from: limetom(...) that someone who spent 10 minutes acutally learning the language wouldn't make them.

Then again, the process of "acutally learning" a language is secret, so you can't hold it against those people who don't do it.

Quote from: limetomThose with at least 2 years high school Latin experience or 1 year college Latin experience should ever be allowed to attempt translating something into or out of Latin.

Especially if their native tongue is not derived in any part from Latin.

That is all.

And this made even less sense...

Seriously dude, I wouldn't normally care, but commenting on others' mastery of Latin (of all languages!) in screwy English just sounds rather dumb. :'(

And please don't take this the wrong way. I mean no offense, I'm just pointing out that I can't take your complaint seriously in its current form.

;) Túrin

Quote from: Túrin

Quote from: Corected:Only those with at least 2 years of high school Latin experience or 1 year of college Latin experience should be allowed to translate languages into and out of Latin.  This is especially true for those who's native language is not derived at least in part from Latin.

Just as a reminder, I'm still up for this if anybody needs it.

For those curious, "HVNC QVOSDAMQVE." (more accurately "Hunc quÃ...sdamque."), found in my signature, means "And this one," literally, "And this certain one."

I'd like a translation into Latin for:

Red Left Hand

It's going to be the name of a government assassins's organization in my world.


I've started trying to teach myself Latin from books at kind of the For Dummies level.  Right now, the one that I own is The Everything Learning Latin Book.  My progress is iffy.  So far I can remember O Tempora! O Mores! off the top of my head and know the pronounciation of the vowels (five letters, five sounds; English for some reason gets twice as much mileage out of the same five letters).  I am at my mom's for the week end, and my books are on the other side of town.

Ruber Sinistra. You might also want to replace ruber ("red"), with another color, such as: pÃ...«niceus ("reddish" or "purple"), coccus ("scarlet" or "crimson"), or sandÃ,,«x ("vermilion").

If you're ever in the market for a Latin dictionary, I highly recommend the Harper Collins Latin Concise Dictionary.  It's written in British English, which can be a tad strange for Americans (like me), and the noun case order is a little different (accusative and genitive are reversed), but otherwise, it's the best you can get outside of some high-level college texts.  It's even got a pretty thorough section on grammar in the back.

As for online dictionaries, I recommend this one (http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe).  It, unfortunately, does not display which vowels should be long, but otherwise, it allows you to look up either in Latin or English, and you can even look up a declined Latin word and it will break it down for you.

Quote from: limetomRuber Sinistra. You might also want to replace ruber ("red"), with another color, such as: pÃ...«niceus ("reddish" or "purple"), coccus ("scarlet" or "crimson"), or sandÃ,,«x ("vermilion").

If you're ever in the market for a Latin dictionary, I highly recommend the Harper Collins Latin Concise Dictionary.  It's written in British English, which can be a tad strange for Americans (like me), and the noun case order is a little different (accusative and genitive are reversed), but otherwise, it's the best you can get outside of some high-level college texts.  It's even got a pretty thorough section on grammar in the back.

As for online dictionaries, I recommend this one (http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe).  It, unfortunately, does not display which vowels should be long, but otherwise, it allows you to look up either in Latin or English, and you can even look up a declined Latin word and it will break it down for you.

Thanks much.  I think I'll go with the first one.  Somehow it sounds scarier to me:

Watch out or the Ruber Sinistra will get you.  As opposed to the SandÃ,,«x Sinistra or PÃ...«niceus Sinistra.

While Harper Collin's is a passable tool, my personal preference would be Cassell's Latin Dictionary.  As I'm wading into thesis territory, I've upgraded to the Oxford Latin Dictionary, but Cassell's served me faithfully up until then.

As far as learning latin for yourself, it's a bit of an investment but I strongly recommend Wheelock's Latin (whatever edition they're up to now.)  It was the text I taught myself on, years ago, and I've since loaned my copy out to several friends who've successfully taught themselves as well.

I'd also like to reaffirm that, even though my posting is sporadic, I do read the forums and I'm available to help people with ancient language concerns.  My area of greatest strength is Greek.