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Tattoos are permanent! Need to know EXACT phrase

 
 
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 01:53 pm
My daughter has been after me to tell her a translation of , " To Thine Own
Self Be True" in Latin , so she can get a small tattoo of it. I did Latin in Britain for 4 years, and completed a first year UBC course in it-- but that was 30 years ago.

I know that it would be the imperative BE true to yourself. I know that the BE would come last. But I really need someone to tell me the real, true, correct Latin phrase before she gets some rubbish that I've dreamed up tattooed onto her body. Help !!!!
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Type: Discussion • Score: 6 • Views: 18,223 • Replies: 42
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George
 
  2  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:08 pm
@rosaleen,
I can think of several ways to render this, but would not claim any of them to
be "the real, true, correct Latin phrase." I'd recommend paying a professional.
McTag
 
  -1  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:14 pm

Whatever she gets tattooed on her body will be a mistake.

Give her some big pliers so she can snip off a finger or a toe, if she wants to disfigure herself. No risk of mistranslation then.
rosaleen
 
  1  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:15 pm
@George,
Thanks George. That's exactly what my older sister said when I asked her. We did Latin so long ago, and I really enjoyed it. It was like solving a puzzle, and the satisfaction in translation of battlefield memoirs was hard to beat. But--tattoos? Not that sure on how it would turn out if I told her what I thought + she got it + it was horribly wrong.
I'll keep checking here for a while before forking over the hard -earned.
Cheers + thanks
George
 
  1  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:16 pm
@McTag,
Ah, Mc T, always sugar-coating!
0 Replies
 
rosaleen
 
  1  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:16 pm
@McTag,
She's almost 30! I don't give her orders. She already has one tattoo+ no problem with it. But thanks for the input---
0 Replies
 
George
 
  1  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:17 pm
@rosaleen,
rosaleen wrote:
I'll keep checking here for a while before forking over the hard -earned.
Cheers + thanks

You're welcome, rosaleen.
0 Replies
 
McTag
 
  0  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:22 pm

Or if you must stain your skin with indelible inks, why not select from

SHELL
MERCEDES
Tesco
McDonald's

or some such, then you could maybe make some money out of it. But check the copyright first.
iamsam82
 
  2  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:23 pm
@rosaleen,
That phrase is Greek in origin, not Latin. No-one really knows who said it first, some say Pythagoras, some Heraclitus, some Socrates.

In our alphabet it is spelt "Gnothi se Auton" (pronounced "nyoh-tee seh owton"). The exact translation is "Know thyself".

If I were her though, I would get it written in Greek as it's far nicer and unique, and with a bit of mystery thrown in.

γνώθι σαυτόν

Hope this helps.
rosaleen
 
  2  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:29 pm
@McTag,
Oh, now McTagg-- I was born in Scotland too. I remember a great word-- scunner-- do you? Your humor is heavy handed and a little nasty. But if you like I could post a few more topics for which you can work up fresh put downs. You get a kick out of it, and it does no real harm---
George
 
  1  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:29 pm
@McTag,
You're a voice crying in the wilderness, McT.
They're going to keep doing this no matter what you say.
0 Replies
 
rosaleen
 
  2  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:31 pm
@iamsam82,
Thank you so much for the Greek. It's very compact + might be right up her street. I'll run it by her. But still searching for the Latin , in case she prefers it.
Lotta good people on this site---
iamsam82
 
  2  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:36 pm
@rosaleen,
As far as I know, "gnothi se auton" is the Latin form. Double check that with George though, he's the Latin guru.
rosaleen
 
  1  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:38 pm
@iamsam82,
Whaddya say , George?
0 Replies
 
McTag
 
  0  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:39 pm
@rosaleen,

I'm not too heavy-handed about most things, but I have got a thing about tattoos.

It's a passing fashion I fancy (except among bodybuilders, S&M exponents and neo-nazis) and so anything I can do to point out that it's not clever, it's not decorative and you'll regret it later, I am happy to do.
JPB
 
  0  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:42 pm
@McTag,
McTag wrote:


I'm not too heavy-handed about most things, but I have got a thing about tattoos.


me too... especially on elderly ladies. Body piercings are pretty high on my list too but they can be easily removed.
iamsam82
 
  2  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:48 pm
If you don't like the idea of having a tattoo, you don't get one. If you quite fancy it, get one. It's really not a big deal. I have one. I don't regret it. It just becomes part of you. And anytime I should start to regret it, I'll only regret it as much as anything else I ever did in my youth that was a bit silly and impetuous. And, like those things, it'll just make me giggle to myself when I think what a pretentious arsewipe I was as a youngster. It's all part of the tapestry. Tattoos are part of who you are - for better or worse.

But I would strongly recommend you get it in a place that is coverable so that should you ever wish to hide it, you can. I got mine on my shoulderblade. As a man, that part is usually covered, even in summer (unless I'm topless). I would recommend your kid think about WHERE to have the tat VERY carefully, perhaps even more than whether or not to have one. If she wears strappy tops then the shoulder may not be a good spot. Perhaps lower back?
rosaleen
 
  2  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:49 pm
@McTag,
Well, I'm glad to report that my daughter is not a member of any of the groups you mentioned. The only tattoos I remember seeing as a child were the ones on the sailors' arms on the Rothesay front. I do wonder how they'll look on people in their late 80's, when all the turgidity has left their skin. But that's not my concern. Shaving, haircutting and bathing were all no doubt thought of as passing fancies. And if anyone wasted a ton of energy opposing those developments, it was all in vain, wasn't it? Life's too short, McTag. I prefer to help my kids when they ask for my help. It doesn't imply approval or otherwise. I'm glad they still love me despite the fact that I made some very significant parenting mistakes when raising them. Cheers.
McTag
 
  1  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:50 pm
@iamsam82,

You recommend a tattoo where it can't be seen?

Curiouser and curiouser.
rosaleen
 
  2  
Reply Wed 26 Aug, 2009 02:51 pm
@iamsam82,
Well said! But the lower back is out. She has one there already--.
Thanks for replying.
0 Replies
 
 

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