Expert: Maria - 1/15/2011

Question
I recently saw where you answered a question for someone who asked for a better translation for the popular quote "Luctor et emergo" where you answered... "I struggled, but I survived", here is the correct translation:

-Pugnavi, at superfui
I have a similar situation. However unlike the the girl that asked whose boyfriend had survived cancer,in my situation, my mother and I survived a house fire. About 3 years ago, my mother and I were involved in a house fire,thankfully we got out with only minor scrapes and burns. My mother is such an inspirational person in my life, that I want to do something special for her in light of the 3 year mark of the fire. I'd like to personalize a life-size portrait of my mother with the quote underneath "Luctor et emergo" but it seems this is not the accurate interpretation of it. And to symbolize coming out of that ordeal alive, I'd like to use the verb "EMERGE" instead of "SURVIVED" Could you help please? Thank you!

Answer
Hello,

If the English phrase you want to be translated is “I struggled and  I emerged” in the sense that someone has struggled and has escaped fire, you must say:

“Contendi  et  ex incendio effugi”.


See below for grammatical analysis.

Best regards,
Maria
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Note that:

-I struggled = CONTENDI (1st.person singular, past tense of CONTENDO, I struggle)

-and  = ET

-I emerged= EX (preposition which takes the ablative) INCENDIO(ablative of INCENDIUM, fire)  EFFUGI (1st.person singular, past tense of EFFUGIO, I escape). Literally “I escaped fire”).


Please note that Latin uses differents verbs/nouns,according to the real sense of the phrase and thus "Pugnavi, at superfui" means "I struggled, but I survived" related to cancer, while "Contendi et ex incendio effugi" means "I struggled and I escaped fire" just related to a house fire.



Finally, "Luctor et emergo", which is  the motto of  the Dutch province of Zeeland located in the south-west of the Netherlands, means exactly "I struggle and emerge" but in the sense that someone  struggles and  finally is victorious over the over the floods just like  the  inhabitants of Zeeland who had to struggle  against floods and then   contrived a series of defences against the water.