Re: Lafayette

[Margaret Stokes <milamba@optushome.com.au>]

Hello Tom,

Yes I do know how people would translate it today... but I translated it 
literally instead... I was very aware it was a deliberate insult to me and 
chose to ignore that by not translating into modern vernacular.

I appreciate you doing so for  me... although I didn't need you to. I knew 
very well what it said and where it came from.

>I got a translation from a co worker.  He said that the Latin is very 
>formal and it mean; "the fat lady has sung. Polly wants a biscuit. We are 
>at the beginning.  May you always use the subjective tense incorrectly"
>
>He says that the last sentence is an old insult used by Cicero.

Yes, it was.  It's somewhat like the Chinese saying "may you live in 
interesting times", although it's said very differently in their language 
and translates quite bizarrely in ours if translated verbatim.

>He said tht if you knew Latin you would know that it is an insult to you.

I did know that - what are you trying to prove?

>I showed him your translation he said that must have been done on a computer.

No... it was done via Cassell's Latin/English Dictionary actually - just 
word by word rather than putting  into modern vernacular, except for the 
first  phrase.

>Sorry to have troubled you. You should leave the Frenchman alone he makes 
>you look foolish.

Oh it was no trouble... I don't bother with your frenchman - but the lady 
is a wonderful historian with a great gift.

Now I'm sure you have a point for stirring this pot - how about you tell me 
what it is?  It would be a lot quicker - and if the frenchman wants to 
waste his time trying to make me look foolish in the eyes of people I don't 
care about, know or otherwise have any interest in - he's welcome to.

Margaret





>Tom
>
>
>>From: Margaret Stokes <milamba@optushome.com.au>
>>Reply-To: sinclair@quarterman.org

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