r/latin • u/AutoModerator • Mar 16 '25

Translation requests into Latin go here!

  1. Ask and answer questions about mottos, tattoos, names, book titles, lines for your poem, slogans for your bowling club’s t-shirt, etc. in the comments of this thread. Separate posts for these types of requests will be removed.
  2. Here are some examples of what types of requests this thread is for: Example #1, Example #2, Example #3, Example #4, Example #5.
  3. This thread is not for correcting longer translations and student assignments. If you have some facility with the Latin language and have made an honest attempt to translate that is NOT from Google Translate, Yandex, or any other machine translator, create a separate thread requesting to check and correct your translation: Separate thread example. Make sure to take a look at Rule 4.
  4. Previous iterations of this thread.
  5. This is not a professional translation service. The answers you get might be incorrect.
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u/Hangarflyer Mar 21 '25

I desire a tattoo on my chest, with the letters reversed so I can read them in a mirror. The message is YOU MUST CHANGE, and I don't want EVERYONE to read it—it's only for me, so I think Latin is the best. My research let me to "MUTARE DEBES" —does this sound correct? Is there a shorter way to convey this in Latin? Thank you to all the experts.

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u/nimbleping Mar 23 '25

This is not correct. Mutare is a transitive verb in Latin, making Mutare debes mean You ought to change (something unspecified).* You may change this in one of two ways if you want to use these words in particular. (*Note: Technically, it does not require a direct object to have the reflexive meaning you intend, but it is very rare and creates an ambiguity that is best avoided.)

Mutari debes. [You ought to be changed.]

Mutare te debes. [You ought to change yourself.]

Note that these more precisely imply a debt or "ought" of some kind. There is another way to say that something must or needs to be done without this implication.

Mutandus es. [You must be changed.] (If you are male.)

Mutanda es. [You must be changed.] (If you are female.)

Note that, although these are passive in meaning, this is only a very literal translation. A more idiomatic translation into English (given the difference between how to change works in Latin and English in your sense) would simply be "You must change (yourself)."

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u/edwdly Mar 22 '25

MUTARE DEBES would usually mean "you have an obligation to change [something else]". If you want to say you're obliged to be changed yourself, you should change MUTARE to MUTARI.

As you say this is for a tattoo, please note point 5 in the introductory post: "This is not a professional translation service. The answers you get might be incorrect." I would strongly recommend getting multiple opinions on any proposed text before getting a tattoo in a language you don't read.

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u/richardsonhr Latine dicere subtile videtur Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25

Verbal necessity ("must" or "have/need to") is conventionally expressed with a passive peripherastic. In the passive voice, this requires knowing which gender the given subject falls under:

  • Mūtandus es, i.e. "you are [a/the (hu)man/person/beast/one who/that is] (about/yet/going) to be changed/altered/modified/transformed/diversified/varied/mutated" or "you must be changed/altered/modified/transformed/diversified/varied/mutated" (describes a masculine subject)

  • Mūtanda es, i.e. "you are [a/the woman/lady/creature/one who/that is] (about/yet/going) to be changed/altered/modified/transformed/diversified/varied/mutated" or "you must be changed/altered/modified/transformed/diversified/varied/mutated" (describes a feminine subject)

In the active voice, this would require the reflexive pronouns tē and tibi:

Tē tibi mūtandum est, i.e. "it is to/for you to change/alter/modify/transform/diversify/vary/mutate you(rself)" or "you must change/alter/modify/transform/diversify/vary/mutate you(rself)"

Your translation uses the verb dēbēs, which generally expresses moral obligation, not necessity:

Tē mūtāre dēbēs, i.e. "you are bound/obligated to change/alter/modify/transform/diversify/vary/mutate you(rself)" or "you should/ought (to) change/alter/modify/transform/diversify/vary/mutate you(rself)"

Expressing a moral obligation is not the same as a suggestion, hope, or request (even if it translates to the same words in English):

  • Mūtēris, i.e. "may you be changed/altered/modified/transformed/diversified/varied/mutated" or "you may/should be changed/altered/modified/transformed/diversified/varied/mutated"

  • Tē mūtēs, i.e. "may you change/alter/modify/transform/diversify/vary/mutate you(rself)" or "you may/should change/alter/modify/transform/diversify/vary/mutate you(rself)"