Translation: NEVER LOST in Latin

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qkbeam
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Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 4:06 pm

Translation: NEVER LOST in Latin

Post by qkbeam »

I'd like to have the words NEVER LOST engraved on a compass for a graduation gift.

NUMQUAM DEERRATA
NUMQUAM ABERRATA
?

There are a million ways to "perish", "disappear", "wander", or even conversationally "digress" in Latin. But I'm unsure of the simple "lost in the woods" variety.

"Aberrata" sounds too negative. "Deerrata", well, I'm just not sure. "Perdita" sounds too much like going morally or socially bankrupt. Not sure.

I need to get this to the engravers pronto.

Your help is appreciated.
qkbeam

adrianus
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Re: Translation: NEVER LOST in Latin

Post by adrianus »

Ego (qui Latinum disco necdum penitùs domo) sic propono: "nunquam errans" vel "nunquam aberrans".
Etiam hoc acui aptum est: "nunquam sine cursu" seu "nunquam sine directione", ut imaginor
.

I would say "nunquam errans" or "nunquam aberrans", but I'm a Latin learner and not a master of the language, or I imagine "Nunquam sine cursu/directione" ("Never without [a] course/direction") would be appropriate for a compass.
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

Orpheus
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Re: Translation: NEVER LOST in Latin

Post by Orpheus »

numquam errens seems like a good translation to me as well. numquam sine cursu seems better than numquam sine directione.

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