Expert: Maria - 7/8/2007

Question
Hi,
I was wondering if you could help me out.
"I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul" does that translate into "fati me Dominus, Animae meae dux sum"?

And could you give me the proper translation for "unconquerable soul"

Answer
Hello,
"I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul"  can be translated into Latin as follows:

1-“Mei fati dominus, mei animi dux”.

2-“Meae sortis dominus, mei animi dux”.

3-“Meae fortunae dominus, mei animi dux”.

All these phrases [where the verb SUM (I am) has been omitted], are correct, of course.
(See below for a grammatical analysis ).

As for the proper translation for "unconquerable soul", here it is:

-“Invictus animus” or “Inexpugnabilis animus”.

Best regards,
Maria
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GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS

-I am = SUM which however has been omitted as it’s unnecessary to the comprehension.

-the master = DOMINUS (nominative case, 2nd.declension)

-of my = MEI (genitive masculine of the possessive MEUS agreed with FATI) / MEAE (genitive feminine agreed with SORTIS or FORTUNAE)

- fate = FATI (genitive of FATUM, neuter, 2nd.declension) / SORTIS (genitive of SORS, feminine, 3rd.declension) / FORTUNAE (genitive of FORTUNA, feminine, 1st.declension).
Note that all three nouns FATUM, SORS, FORTUNA correspond to the English word “fate” as ‘the force, principle, or power that predetermines events’.

-the captain = DUX (nominative, 3rd.declension)

- of my = MEI (genitive masculine agreed with ANIMI)

-soul = ANIMI (genitive of ANIMUS, masculine, 2nd.declension).
Note that the noun ANIMA you‘ve used in your translation ("fati me Dominus, Animae meae dux sum"), means “the vital principle, the breath of life”, which I believe  is not the sense of “soul” in “captain of my soul”, where “soul” means “the rational soul in man”, “the mind as thinking, feeling, willing” and therefore must be translated as ANIMUS just meaning “the rational soul in man”, “the mind as thinking, feeling, willing”.

Finally "fati me Dominus, Animae meae dux sum" is wrong first because you should have written MEI (not ME); second because you should have translated ANIMI MEI, given that ANIMA means simply "the vital principle, the breath of life".
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-unconquerable = INVICTUS / INEXPUGNABILIS (both in the nominative masculine agreed with ANIMUS)

-soul = ANIMUS(“the rational soul in man”, “the mind as thinking, feeling, willing”)