Latin?

Penguin Queen · Mar 20, 2007

Does anybody know a useful online translator thingy that does Latin? I have a few texts here that I half understand, using my dusty school Latin, but it would be nice to be certain.

...or mebbe you even speak Latin and feel like doing a bit of translation?

On the off-chance...

"Romani hermaphroditos humanos ultrumque sexum participantes inter populos ab ipsis remotos parumque sibi cognitos saepius obvenire credebant, inter ipsos interdum natos primus rei publicae temporibus in prodigiis habebant interdum occidebant, in desertam insulam ejiciebant [sic] aut alio modo e medio removebant, serius tamen, Plinii tempore in deliciis habebant."

"Supre Nasamonas confinesque illis Machlyas Androgynos esse utriusque naturae, inter se coeuntes, Calliphanes tradit."

Thanks

Rosamund · Mar 20, 2007

Me no speaky Latin, but ...

Have you considered looking these verses up in the Loeb edition of the book? It has the Latin on one said and the English translation on the other. I find them very helpful.

Alternatively, if you just want to check a few words, you could use the English to Latin dictionary at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/enggreek?lang=la. Come to think of it, if you know where and in what book you are looking, you could probably look up the English translation of the text in their classics collection as well (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cache/perscoll_Greco-Roman.html). This is an academic site, and it is very well thought of. It's also the best resource for Latin and Ancient Greek on the net that I have found.

I hope this helps a bit.

Edited to add: For example, your second bit from Pliny the Elder's Natural History, Book Seven,Chapter Two, is translated on Perseus as follows:
"Above the Nasamones, and the Machlytæ, who border upon them, are found, as we learn from Calliphanes, the nation of the Androgyni, a people who unite the two sexes in the same individual, and alternately perform the functions of each."

Penguin Queen · Mar 20, 2007

Thanks for that dictionary site.

The problem is the longer quote is from a 19th century medical treatise in Latin, of which as far as I know no German or indeed English translation exists. (Comentatio de hermaphroditismo, auctore A. F. Guenther, Lipsiae 1846)

Youve given me an idea though, I'll have a rootle round & see if there is, I just hadent thouhgt of that.
Cheers

Deleted member 42 · Mar 20, 2007

Penguin Queen, I can't check at the moment, but ask your local library, especially a college or uni library, to check WorldCat; I bet there is a translation.

Penguin Queen · Mar 20, 2007

Never heard of WorldCat before. Looked it up and it looks good. I'll check with the British Library, they're sure to know if anyone does.

Thanks

Elektra · Mar 20, 2007

Oooh, oooh, I can finally be useful! Can translate for you, if you like. Online translators are evil.

scarletpeaches · Mar 20, 2007

Romani hermaphroditos roman people with multiple genitals humanos ultrumque sexum are people who like to have lots of sex participantes inter populos with any member of the population ab ipsis remotos in remote or open places parumque sibi cognitos without thinking. saepius obvenire credebant, People watch incredulously, inter ipsos interdum natos and stick things up their nether parts primus rei publicae primarily in public. temporibus in prodigiis They become temporarily elasticated/stretched habebant interdum occidebant, causing genital accidents. in desertam insulam ejiciebant [sic] Their friends leave them to ejaculate alone aut alio modo e medio removebant, while keeping an eye out for members of the media who would serius tamen, try to tame this behaviour. Plinii tempore in deliciis habebant. Pliny the Younger lives in my delicious house.

Supre Nasamonas confinesque illis Machlyas Androgynos esse utriusque naturae, inter se coeuntes, Calliphanes tradit. Superman captured Ronald McDonald for the good of mankind. He is a cunt. So tradition has it.

Elektra · Mar 20, 2007

Though you'll have to give me till tomorrow

Penguin Queen · Mar 21, 2007

Elektra said:
Though you'll have to give me till tomorrow

Darling, that would be fabulous!

The day after tomorrow will do, too, I have several more books to read (thankfully, all in English or German). If I can reciprocrate in any way, let me know. (You know - within reason :tongue

)

Elektra · Mar 22, 2007

Noooooooooo! Translated the whole stupid thing, and the posttimed out! GRRRRRRRRR

C.bronco · Mar 22, 2007

I'm lucky: the Latin teacher's classroom is next to mine. She did my translations. She's out of the building right now, but send me a pm if you can't get it. I'll ask her.

Elektra · Mar 22, 2007

Here goes nothin'...

Penguin Queen said:
"Romani hermaphroditos humanos ultrumque sexum participantes inter populos ab ipsis remotos parumque sibi cognitos saepius obvenire credebant, The Romans believed human hermaphrodites, and maybe even those who share a sex [no idea what this could mean--possibly Siamese twins?], to frequently occur amoung the peoples from remote regions, little known to them [the Romans]. inter ipsos interdum natos primus rei publicae temporibus in prodigiis habebant interdum occidebant, in desertam insulam ejiciebant [sic] aut alio modo e medio removebant, In portentious times of the nation, the first amoung these peoples sometimes kept the sons [assuming here hermaphrodites], sometimes killed them, cast them off onto a deserted island, or in some other way removed them from the public eye. serius tamen, Plinii tempore in deliciis habebant." Nevertheless serius, they kept in the charming times of Pliny. Again, no idea what that means.

Thanks

May I ask what this is for?

C.bronco · Mar 22, 2007

That's wacky! Those Romans were always up to something.

Penguin Queen · Mar 22, 2007

A gold star for Electra! Thank you very much.

Elektra said:
May I ask what this is for?

It's for a radio programme (for German public radio) about the cultural & social history of - you guessed it - hermaphrodites.
Fascinating subject, because it not only shows how societies/cultures dealt with "Others" and otherness, but also about the whole gender thing. This is very apparent in the 19th century when doctirs tried very, very hard to press hermaphroditic poeple, or intersex as as say today, ie those who by definition have - defending on your definition - physical attributes either of more than one sex, or are somewhere along a continuum between the sexes *takes breath* er, yes, so, those 19th century doctors tried very hard to press intersex/hermaphrodite people into either the male or female sex.

Male and female were worlds apart, and to have poeple who were somewhere in the middle, a bit of both but not quite either the one or the other caused a very great deal of anxiety.
Still does, come to that.

I think Jeffrey Eugenides novel "Middelsex" (great title

) deals with this -- it's still on my reading list.

Fascinating, fascinating stuff. I could go on for hours.

Min you -- I already have, havent I?

Vandal · Mar 22, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
Romani hermaphroditos roman people with multiple genitals humanos ultrumque sexum are people who like to have lots of sex participantes inter populos with any member of the population ab ipsis remotos in remote or open places parumque sibi cognitos without thinking. saepius obvenire credebant, People watch incredulously, inter ipsos interdum natos and stick things up their nether parts primus rei publicae primarily in public. temporibus in prodigiis They become temporarily elasticated/stretched habebant interdum occidebant, causing genital accidents. in desertam insulam ejiciebant [sic] Their friends leave them to ejaculate alone aut alio modo e medio removebant, while keeping an eye out for members of the media who would serius tamen, try to tame this behaviour. Plinii tempore in deliciis habebant. Pliny the Younger lives in my delicious house.

Supre Nasamonas confinesque illis Machlyas Androgynos esse utriusque naturae, inter se coeuntes, Calliphanes tradit. Superman captured Ronald McDonald for the good of mankind. He is a cunt. So tradition has it.

This is definitely the funniest thing I've ever read on this board.

My oh my.

Latin?

Penguin Queen

Break the rules.

Rosamund

Penguin Queen

Break the rules.

Deleted member 42

Penguin Queen

Break the rules.

Elektra

Don't Call Me Sweetheart

scarletpeaches

Elektra

Don't Call Me Sweetheart

Penguin Queen

Break the rules.

Elektra

Don't Call Me Sweetheart

C.bronco

I have plans...

Elektra

Don't Call Me Sweetheart

C.bronco

I have plans...

Penguin Queen

Break the rules.

Vandal

In the Center of things