Expert: Maria - 9/2/2010

Question
Hi there,

I'm looking to get a tattoo soon of my favourite saying, but I would like to translate it into Latin first. The phrase in English is "Carrots, Sticks, or Silence", meaning essentially in negotiations one is defeated with either carrots (positive reinforcement), sticks (negative reinforcement), or silence (doing nothing, meant to be a note of irony - the best method sometimes is doing nothing).

I took Latin in university but I forget the endings to be sure, i.e.: tattooed to my body... I think it should be something like 'Aut Carota (ablative?), aut Talea (ablative?), aut Silencium".

Looking forward to your help! :)

Thanks,
 ~ AJ

Answer
Hello,

I’m sorry, but I have to reject this question as I really do not like the practice of tattooing.
Moreover  you did not pay attention to what I wrote in my ‘Instructions to Questioner’ which appear on your "Ask a question page” where you can read:
“No homework questions please NOR TATTOOS".

Therefore I do not want to answer  this question as I really do not like tattoos and then, as a volunteer expert of a 100% FREE site, where I receive no fee, I obviously can choose to decline translating any phrase / word for this purpose.

Anyway I have to tell you that it little matters that  in “Aut Carota,  aut Talea , aut Silentium" you use the ablative as an ablative of means or a nominative first because the nominative and the ablative singular of  “carota” and “talea” are exactly the same as they both belong to the 1st.declension, while the ablative of "silentium"(2nd.declension) is "silentio",  second mostly because either “Aut Carota,  aut Talea , aut Silentium " in the nominative or " Aut Carota,  aut Talea , aut Silentio "  in the ablative would sound absolutely absurd in Latin.

Bye,
Maria