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Obligatory Tattoo translation request


Legion

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That translation is not correct. It is too literal, and that makes it untelligible and comical. Do not get this as a tattoo.

 

Since it refers to a comic book character, why not get a tattoo of that character? That seems the perfect way to represent your meaning.

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Well I knew literal translation was going to be a bust, that,s why I am here for advice how to make it sagacious. Based on your screen name Publius you may appreciate another tattoo I have "quod me nutrit me destruit" literally means that which nourishes me also destroys me, but MEANS "that which drives me also consumes me." A suggestion with how to make it in the spirit of what I am saying is my goal, preferable with the full translated reconstruction, since I'm clueless.

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'Quod me nutrit me destruit' sounds like a perfectly good choice. I'd say pick a nice font and go for it.

Alternatively, you could consider looking up the original Ancient Greek of Marc 5:9 and getting that.

 

Since you seem to have no specific connection to the Chinese language or culture, I'd advise against getting a tattoo in Chinese, especially not a tattoo of an iconic European sentence translated into Chinese. Chinese characters are not some mystical symbol system with magical meaning, they are are writing system just like English or Latin. If you want something that is not immediately legible to the unitiated passer-by, getting something in Latin or Ancient Greek will work fine. Latin especially has the added advantage that you can more or less read it, or at least recognise the letters, so there is a much smaller chance of either you or the tattoo artist making a mistake that is then on your body forever.

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16 hours ago, Legion said:

I plan to put it on my inner forearm next to this.

Rt Arm Final.jpg

Maybe I'm just seeing things, but whoever has tattooed you seems to have made the very unfortunate decision to use a Greek omega in place of what should be a Roman O (in the word QUOD), possibly a Greek pi in place of a Roman N (in NUTRIT), Greek phi in place of the letter I, and Greek sigmas for Roman E.  And do I see a letter s that has crept in on the end of DESTRUIT?

 

 For anyone who has studied Latin and Greek, or who is merely able to distinguish the Greek and Roman alphabets, your tattoo is an impressive visual solecism.

 

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9 hours ago, Zbigniew said:

Maybe I'm just seeing things, but whoever has tattooed you seems to have made the very unfortunate decision to use a Greek omega in place of what should be a Roman O (in the word QUOD), possibly a Greek pi in place of a Roman N (in NUTRIT), Greek phi in place of the letter I, and Greek sigmas for Roman E.

OMG I didn't even see that. But as per OP, at least it's on purpose? So not an actual train wreck but a number of wagons carefully partly taken apart and lowered into the ravine to resemble a train wreck.

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