F**k Around and Find Out

Ned Leco

New Member

Apologizes up front for the swear.

Specifically I want a translation to the effect of mess/fuck around and find out.

I'm looking for this to be translated for a military patch for a friend's birthday. It would be a the motto/warning on the patch to inform intent.

Thanks in advance.
 
B

Bitmap

Guest

It's not easy to translate this directly since you probably don't have sexual intercourse in mind. At least not for the purpose of this translation.

I would probably render this as errando reperire, i.e. "to find out by making mistakes/ by trial and error" ... but it's rather loose. Maybe somebody else has an idea.
 

Ned Leco

New Member

Ya I'm looking for more a warning of intent, not a life lesson. Would the fact that the statement is coming from (per say) from me to you change it? It's a warning to you for what will happen if you mess around.
 
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Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
Would the fact that the statement is coming from (per say) from me to you change it?
As a threat like "Fuck around (with me) and you'll find out (what I can/will do to you)"?

Maybe something like this would come close enough, even though the swear word must needs be lost in translation I'm afraid:

Irrita me: invenies quid valeam = Provoke me and you'll find out what I'm capable of.
 

Glabrigausapes

Philistine

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Milwaukee
How's about the classic approach to 'pseudo-imperatives':
Si scurraberis, irrumaberis

'If you're gonna play the fool, you'll get fucked up'.
 

Serenus

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

How's about the classic approach to 'pseudo-imperatives':
Si scurraberis, irrumaberis

'If you're gonna play the fool, you'll get fucked up'.
I think you should clarify that "irrumaberis" means specifically 'you'll be forced you to give oral sex' ('to get face-fucked'). It may or may not be something acceptable to Ned.
 
 

cinefactus

Censor

  • Censor

  • Patronus

Location:
litore aureo
I think you should clarify that "irrumaberis" means specifically 'you'll be forced you to give oral sex' ('to get face-fucked'). It may or may not be something acceptable to Ned.
you could always change it to pedicaberis ;)
 

Ned Leco

New Member

How's about the classic approach to 'pseudo-imperatives':
Si scurraberis, irrumaberis

'If you're gonna play the fool, you'll get fucked up'.
Ya unless the person wants to have sex with a bullet. I'd like it as close to the original intent as possible.
 

Glabrigausapes

Philistine

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Milwaukee
Fair enough, but it will probably wind up being long & circumlocutory.
 

Glabrigausapes

Philistine

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Milwaukee
you could always change it to pedicaberis ;)
I thought about that, but it sounds like this chap might somehow be even less pleased with it. Who knows?
 

Clemens

Aedilis

  • Aedilis

Location:
Maine, United States.
Regardless of how it’s translated, it will lack the punch of the English version. I actually do an activity like this with my students, to illustrate how aphorisms and epigrams don’t work in translation. They still don’t all get it, and want to know how to say their favorite catchphrase in Latin, even though the rhyme, alliteration and rhythm are usually lost.
 

Glabrigausapes

Philistine

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Milwaukee
You are my hero.
 
B

Bitmap

Guest

Such English phrases are hard to translate even into contemporary languages. I would find it hard to come up with a good translation of that phrase in my native language.
 

Clemens

Aedilis

  • Aedilis

Location:
Maine, United States.
I realize I'm preaching to the choir but this is party of why we like knowing more than one language.
 

Ned Leco

New Member

I don't mind long, like Pacifica's. This going on a patch and will simply border the symbols in the center. I just don't want it to be like when a person gets a chinese tattoo and while it sort of means something, it also means something vulgar.
If everyone agrees that pacifica's Irrita me: invenies quid valeam works. it'd look like this:
Capture134.JPG
 
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