translation help: english to latin

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Nyarlathotep
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translation help: english to latin

Post by Nyarlathotep »

Hello, i've been looking to translate this phrase, and would like help with it. please note i am no latin student, and am just curious about how this would look in latin, i've tried a few web sites but have found that they dont do phrases that well, i would just peice it together with a dictionary online but words like It, and The dont seem to literally translate, any help would be great, thanks.

the quote: in the name of god impure souls of the living dead shall banished into eternal damnation. amen

my pitiful attempt at online translation (remember i know nothing of latin grammar or syntax, and this is still incomplete)

obtestatio immundus animus victus (not right, i know) manes oportet profugus intro eternus danmnation (no clue what the latin is). amen (is this latin or some other language?)

please be kind, i know nothing of the language.

Thanks

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benissimus
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Post by benissimus »

There are some difficulties with translating this, but it is not impossible. "Living dead" is an oxymoron and I'm not sure if Latin has an equivalent phrase, but it does have several words for "ghost". "Amen" is a Hebrew word but my dictionary says it came into Late Latin. I don't know anybody who is well versed in anything but Classical Latin and neither am I, but here is my offer:
in the name of god impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. amen
Pro Deo (serviendo) exsulabuntur relicti spiritus impiorum e mortuis peragrantibus ad damnationem aeternam.
Which translates more strictly to:
"On behalf of (serving) God, the remnant spirits of the impious shall be banished from the wandering dead to eternal damnation."

I took a little bit of license with it, but I think it's going to get nasty if you try to translate that English directly into Latin. Add the "amen" if you like :wink:
flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripae

bingley
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Post by bingley »

If by living dead you mean vampire, I believe a rough equivalent in Roman mythology was lamia. No idea what the Roman equivalent of zombie was, sorry.

Kerastes
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Re: translation help: english to latin

Post by Kerastes »

Nyarlathotep wrote:in the name of god impure souls of the living dead shall banished into eternal damnation. amen
To me it sounds better suited to ecclesiastical Latin, a field in which I do have some experience.

In nomine Dei, spiritus immundi et phantasmata in perditionem aeternam expellentur.

In the name of God, impure spirits and ghosts shall be banished to eternal damnation. Add Amen or its Latin equivalent, Fiat.

Benissimus has a good classical translation, but "in nomine ..." is idiomatic Church Latin and "spiritus immundus" is found in the exorcism ritual. I also think Bingley has a point about lamia = vampire, but literally translating "living dead" into Latin will not have quite the force of "Living Dead" as in the movie Night of the ....

Kerastes

Nyarlathotep
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Post by Nyarlathotep »

Thanks a lot everyone, i really appreciate it.

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