Inspirational Strive for perfection; Desire for perfection

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I am a mural artist in manchester UK and in need of some assistance, It has been a while since i had to use latin in my work (last time it was home-work!), but I have a new need.

I am currently finishing the design for a large mural involving 40 or so Children from a selection of community centres install a floor mural which will cover the entire ground floor of a new childrens shelter.

In each door way they would like the motto "aim for perfectio" presented as an open scroll in each doorway, with a reflection of the english in latin.

I have looked around and searched my tiny brain to come up with the following:

Concupisco pro perfectus - Strive for perfection

intendo pro perfectio - desire for perfection?

or

specto primoris view/looking at/to the top/pinnacle
Could anyone help a noob?

Many thanks
Chris

 

[Cato]

Tende ad perfectionem is perhaps the most direct translation (change tende to tendite if the request to "aim" is directed at a group). Tende more directly means "extend, stretch", but has a more abstract meaning of "strive" and was the word used for aiming a weapon (probably because you literally had to stretch a bow to aim it).

I would perhaps recommend the slightly different Tende ad summum - "aim for the top"; this is shorter and carries the same sense.

BTW, I'm an American, but I simply adore the British TV series "Life on Mars", which I believe is set in Manchester. If you have seen it, can you tell me if the program is actually filmed there?

 

[Iynx]

I've been thinking more about the "striving" than about the "aiming" Plain nitor won't do here, because of alternate meanings related to "leaning" and "resting". But enitor or conitor might not be bad. How about:

Enitere ad perfectionem.

 

[Anonymous]

change of motto!!

The client has indicated a change:

they now want aim for greatness"

I am asssuming i can stil use the Tende ad....

but would I now use : maiestas?

Thanks Guys

PS looking into the 'Life on Mars' Show - I think it is filmed locally will try to find it on google maps for you..

 

[Iynx]

I don't think that ad maiestatem, with its implications of grandeur and "majesty" is the phrase wanted here.

Ad amplitudinem and ad magnitudinem sound to like something that might be hung in the refectory of a school for sumo wrestlers-- they mean "greatness" primarily in the sense of "bigness".

I think that Cato's ad summum might be the best choice for "for greatness" here. At least I can't come up with anything better.

 

[Cato]

The difficulty here is that "greatness" is a rather broad and abstract idea; it's fine in English, but finding an exact equivalent in Latin is tougher. For example, virtus contains the notion of personal greatness, but is also associated with specific manly virtues like courage/bravery, and "aim for bravery" just seems curious.

I'm re-suggesting Tende ad summum. If I were to go out on a limb, Tende ad optimum, literally "aim for the best". As Iynx rightly points out, other choices are either too lengthy or subject to misinterpretation because of English cognates like "magnificence" and "majesty". However, you know the client better than I.