Ego Puta in Nihilum

[Anonymous]

Hey, what's up. I'm a member of the military, and I was wondering if you could help me make fun of my friend!

One of our friends recently decided to get a tatoo in latin because he thought it would be cool. He, however, didn't do very good research beforehand, and though it is a fairly simple phrase he got tatooed, one of my friends, who knows a bit of latin, says he may have got it wrong. This has been a bit of a dispute for a while, and I'd love to get a definite 'yes or no' so I can either give it up or rag on him mercilessly.

The phrase he got was:

Ego Puta in Nihilum

Which he says translates to-

I believe in nothing

What's the verdict?

 

[cinefactus]

It is wrong

 

[QMF]

Indeed, it is wrong. A correct way to do it (not necessarily the only way to do it) would be:
credo nihilo

 

[cinefactus]

BTW, do you have a photo?

I would like to make a sticky with photos of garbled tattoo's from internet translators...

 

[Decimvs]

Given the relative permanence of a tattoo, one should always check and re-check with multiple sources before proceeding.

May I ask how large the tattoo is and where on his body it is located?

 

[Anonymous]

Hahahahaha, awesome! I'll try to snap a photo, but it might be hard because he'll likely be unwilling. Better get him drunk first.

Anyway, it's on his arm running down. It's not very big, but very noticeable.

 

[cinefactus]

I think that we could only use it with his permission.

At least this one is relatively small. I have seen a proud post of an entire forearm covered in gibberish...

This is actually a serious problem, and I would like to be able to do something about it...

 

[cinefactus]

Ah, finally found it www.ratemyink.com

In fact, I managed to find a number of other mistranslations, but I guess I shouldn't post the links to avoid humiliating the victims...

Interestingly, all of the ratings on them were very positive

 

[Decimvs]

Wow. Nice find Cinefactus. In the little box in the upper left, if you type in Latin and search it brings them all up on one page.

 

[Bitmap]

Re: Help me make fun of my friend!

oh my gosh

 

[Decimvs]

Re: Help me make fun of my friend!

It is amazing is it not?

 

[Pacifica]

Indeed, it is wrong. A correct way to do it (not necessarily the only way to do it) would be:
credo nihilo

Not really. That would rather mean "I trust nothing". Rather credo in nihilum, calquing on credo in unum deum...

 

[Nikolaos]

As I understand it, aliquid credere is classically "to believe in something", and credere in aliquem with the same meaning is a later development.

Let me check my sources on that.

 

[Pacifica]

As I understand it, aliquid credere is classically "to believe in something"

I think it's "to believe something", as in "to believe that something is true", rather than "to believe in something (as in a god)".

 

[Nikolaos]

The OLD confirms that "to believe in something" uses the accusative, and L&S marks the "in aliquem" version as Ecclesiastical.

 

[Pacifica]

Right, "to assume the reality or existence of, believe in". There is even an example of deos credere. I've learnt something today.

But I would rather use the ecclesiastical construction here - because such a phrase is clearly intended as an "opposed paralel" to "I believe in god", so I'd sooner keep the construction in paralel as well - well, I know that no op needs it anyway, but I'm talking for the principle.

 

[Pacifica]

Btw, how could we translate "ego puta in nihilum"? "I, imagine, (imp. am turning?) to nothing"? Lol. Untranslatable. But it could be part of a larger sentence... Ego, puta, in nihilum redigor...