Expert: Maria - 6/17/2008

Question
QUESTION: Ma'am, with all due respect I am requesting your assistance in summarizing the following portion of the Army Ranger Creed, "Never will I fail my comrades, or leave a fallen man behind..." I want to memorialize the brothers I have lost in my art and would like a brief Latin phrase that best communicates this idea, i.e. Strength & Honor... That Others May Live, etc.  I respect your position as an educator and as an expert.  I appreciate your time.  Standing by... Brian

ANSWER: Hello,

I think you could summarize the phrase "Never will I fail my comrades, or leave a fallen man behind..." as follows:

1-“Numquam meos obliviscar commilitones” (Never will I forget my comrades)
or:
2-“ Mortui non sunt, sed in aeternum vivunt” (They did not die, but  live for ever)

If on the contrary you want to translate “Strength & Honor” and “That Others May Live”, here is the translation into Latin:

-“Virtus et Honor” or  “Fortitudo er Honor” (Strength & Honor).

-“Ut ceteri vivant” or “Ut alii vivant” (That Others May Live ).

Best regards,
Maria
_________________________________________________
NUMQUAM= never
MEOS = my
OBLIVISCAR= I will forget
COMMILITONES= comrades

MORTUI NON SUNT = They did not die
SED= but  
VIVUNT = live
IN AETERNUM= for ever


VIRTUS/ FORTITUDO= strength
&=et
HONOR= honor

UT = so that
CETERI / ALII = others
VIVANT= may live


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: In the past you have been so gracious in providing me translations to be used
in memorial art.  I hope to impose once again.  I wish to translate the following into latin:

Uncommon Valor

Eternal Valor

Heroic Valor

Valor Echos for Eternity

What we do in life echoes in eternity

Thank you.  

Answer
Hello,

Here are the translations you are looking for:

-“Insignis virtus”  or “Virtus insignis” (Uncommon Valor )

-“Aeterna virtus “ or “Virtus aeterna” (Eternal Valor )

-“Heroica virtus” or “Virtus heroica” (Heroic Valor )

-“In aeternum resonat virtus” (Valor Echoes for Eternity )

-“Quod in vita facimus in aeternum resonat “ (What we do in life echoes in eternity).

All the best,
Maria
____________________________________
GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS


-Uncommon = INSIGNIS (nominative feminine of the adjective INSIGNIS, 3rd.declension,  agreed with VIRTUS)

-Valor = VIRTUS (feminine noun, 3rd.declension)

Please note that in Latin the adjective can be before or after  the noun.

__________________________________________________________
-Eternal = AETERNA (nominative feminine of the adjective AETERNUS agreed with VIRTUS )

-Valor = VIRTUS (see above)

Note that AETERNUS (2nd.declension) is masculine, while AETERNA (1st.declension)  is feminine.
______________________________________________________________
-Heroic  = HEROICA (nominative feminine of the adjective HEROICUS, 2nd.declension)  agreed with VIRTUS

-Valor = VIRTUS

_______________________________________________
-Valor  = VIRTUS (nominative)

-Echoes = RESONAT ( from RESONO)

-for = IN (preposition which takes the accusative)

-Eternity = AETERNUM (accusative masculine of AETERNUS)


___________________________________________________________
-What = QUOD (relative pronoun)

-we do = FACIMUS (from FACIO)

-in life =  IN  VITA

-echoes = RESONAT

-in eternity = IN AETERNUM