Expert: Maria - 9/7/2010

Question
Of the two phrases " In melius mundum matare possunt homines" and " Nemo vir est qui mundum non reddat meliorem" which is the correct translation for What man is a man who does not make the world better?  Whats its origin? Where was it first written?
Thanks
Damon

Answer
Hello,

“In melius mundum mutare (not “matare”) possunt homines” (literally, “Men can make the world better”) and “Nemo vir est qui mundum non reddat meliorem” (literally, “No man is a man who does not make the world better”) are correct.

The first phrase is a translation I myself suggested in one of my previous answers, while the second is simply a quote from the movie "Kingdom of Heaven".

Anyway they both are not quotes from classical Latin authors.

As for the literal translation of the question clause “What man is a man who does not make the world better?”, here it is:

“Qui homo mundum meliorem non reddit?”

Regards,
Maria