Topic

Whose imagination is this, exactly? : A translation of Balzare's street names

As I was running through Balzare the other night, it occurred to me that there was a lot of Latin happening.  As it turns out, every* street has a Latin name.  I looked back over the map and realized that there's a theme going on here.  So I sat down, pulled out my Latin dictionaries, warmed up the internet, and got to work.

Please remember that translation between languages is an art, not a science.  There are often shades of meaning that don't have equivalent words in the other language.  Also, my Latin is fairly rusty, so if you have corrections or suggestions please share them.  There are a few places where I discussed my thoughts behind my choices, most often if it's one I had difficulties with.

* Climbonyne is the exception, and I'll also note that it's the street that connects to Roobrik.

Balzare: Italian, from late Latin ballizare.  It means to leap/to spring (thanks for the correction Zira!).

Acta Probat --  often seen in "exitus acta probat" (the conclusion makes the deeds acceptable, aka the ends justify the means).  Without "exitus" the rough literal translation would be to make an approval/justification/test/demonstration.  It's one that's hard to say when there isn't context.

Adspice Lacrimis -- you observe/behold/investigate a tear

Causa Aurum -- for the sake of gold/for the pretext of gold

Climbonyne -- ??  I just don't know what kind of -yne we're climbing on, but I haven't tackled Roobrik's streets yet, so it might come to me while I'm doing that.  (possibly some sort of pun on Mnemosyne?  if so, it really ought to by Climbonsyne, as all of the Greek goddesses with -yne were really -syne.) 

Facta Verba -- usually seen as "facta non verba" (deeds not words), this could also mean having made words or being done with words.

Indulcet Fames -- Seen in "fabas indulcet fames" (hunger sweetens the beans), this on its own would literally be "hunger sweetens".  This is a bit of a tricky one without an object, simply because "indulcet" is a rather inflexible form of the word (it's the third-person singular present active subjunctive for the grammar nerds).  In English, subjunctives usually require a "that" clause; for example, "she catches" would become "that she catch" (She catches me, I'm worried that she might catch me.) or "he studies" becomes "that he study". (He studies, I suggest that he study.) see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_subjunctive#Present_subjunctive for more if you need or want it. Given that it's in the active subjunctive, I would probably translate it as "hunger can sweeten" or "hunger may sweeten" as we're talking about something that could be happening but isn't necessarily.

Insidias Sapienti -- the trap of being wise/the artifice of wisdom

Justitia Coelum -- Coelum is a common misspelling/alternate form (depends on who you ask) of caelum.  It's usually seen in the phrase "fiat justitia ruat caelum" (let justice be done though the heavens fall).  In this context, I would say it's "justice from the heavens".

Lexdistin Guitur -- Sneaky little space, moving around like that... this is almost certainly "lex distinguitur" (the law distinguishes).

Memento Sana -- remember sanity

Mens Liber - freedom of the mind/the unrestricted mind

Multum Parvo -- usually seen as "multum in parvo" (much in little/a lot of something in a small space), this could either be a shortened form of that or something closer to "much taken out of something unimportant" (basically, a mountain from a molehill).

Nemo Sana -- no one [has] sanity  

Nutrit Malorum -- the sustenance of destruction

Odisse Videntur -- they are observed/perceived to hate/detest/dislike

Omnium Prospice -- you must look (look out, watch out, or look at something far away) for all of [something, someone... but what?]  Alternately, it could have been intended as "all of you must look" but that would really be just Prospicere... maybe Omnium Prospicere, but either way "prospice" is the singular second person, not the plural.  You could argue that it's "each one of you must individually watch out" but I've never encountered a similar construction (which is not to say that it doesn't exist).

Posse Laeseris -- you will betray your potential/ability

Semper Valere -- you must always be strong

Splendet Erit -- There are some tense disagreements here: mainly, splendet is present tense and erit is future.  (I suspect an errant translation at work, but who knows?) Splendet is in the third-person singular present active indicative, and erit is in the third-person singular future active indicative. What I think we're getting at here is [he/she/it] will be shining.  To make them agree, you can do one of the following: the present would be "splendet est", the future would be "splendeto erit", and to get a future perfect passive, which would make the most sense, you want "splenduerit".  Since the future passive perfect already contains "to be" in the word in Latin, "Splendu Erit" would be how one would separate them. You know, if they wanted to.

Verbum Destruit -- [he/she/it] destroys words

Vivere Aestas -- Another tough one without context.  "Vivere" is both the present active infinitive and the second-person singular present passive imperative.  So it's either "to live/survive in summer" or "survival of summer", something along those lines.  (Summer is indeed in a genitive case here, and trying to combine genitives with infinitives requires far more coffee than I have right now.)

Also of note: Most people, myself included, would assume Roobrik is a derivation of the English word "rubric" and leave it at that.  However, while working with this list I remembered that the etymology of rubric involved Latin, so a touch of research lead me to the word "rubrica". This is usually translated as  red ochre, often a specific type used to mark sheep (ruddle).  Given that Roobrik is, well, awfully red, I thought it was worth mentioning.  Past that, I'll get back to Roobrik as soon as I've got enough time to do the research properly.

Posted 6 months ago by Magic Monkey Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • This was amazing, Magic Monkey. Thank you! Looking forward to Roobrik.
    Posted 6 months ago by Empyreal Subscriber! | Permalink
  • ooh, awesome! thank you for sitting down to do the research! I'd noticed the Latin theme going on but hadn't come up with the drive to hunt down my dictionary. there's some fascinatingly sinister stuff going on in several of these.
    Posted 6 months ago by Tathak Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I sort of think of Climbonyne as Climb-On-In.
    Posted 6 months ago by foolbunny Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Fantastic! Excellent! Terrific (sic)!

    Given the state of the forums some days, and the sense of humor that staff can present in there, I like the idea that Justitia Coelum is actually misspelled the other way: it'd be Justitia Coelom.
    Posted 6 months ago by Stuv Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There's an awful lot of mangling of synonyms for colors between yellow and red in Roobrik's names, just by glossing... I'll wait to comment on your Roobrik thread.
    Posted 6 months ago by Stuv Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ah, nifty - I had thought about the Latin names too, and it's great to see them all collected here. I found it quite interesting to speculate how these names might appear to someone with no or limited Latin...

    "Memento Sana" to my ear also rings a little like "mens sana in corpore sano" - "a healthy mind in a healthy body"

    "Nutrit Malorum" - to someone without Latin knowledge, it might sound a bit like "malnutrition".

    And then of course, the two "-spice" ones might lead people to expect spice trees.
    Posted 6 months ago by Not a Princess Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow. That was an awesome exegesis of Balzare... 

    Makes so much sense now. I read all of that to say: "A place perfectly justified for leaping for gold! You should check it out! Lots of hidey spots, but stay strong because we're all crazy around here." 
    Posted 6 months ago by Zubes Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Magificent! Thanks for your work! :)
    Posted 6 months ago by Asthner Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @foolbunny - I hadn't even thought of that.  It would almost be a letdown after all of the work to decode the rest of them though. ;)

    @Not a Princess - Malnutrition isn't that far off!  Nutrit is the root word for nutrition, and malorum is the root word for malicious -- mal as a prefix does also come from malus, but it made a stop in Old French first, so we get it from the Latin indirectly there.

    @Zubes - I like that!  It makes me want to get a good cheshire grin going to say, "But we're all mad here..."
    Posted 6 months ago by Magic Monkey Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Some of the smartest and most inquisitive players of any game anywhere!
    This is GREAT!
    Posted 6 months ago by Stormy Weather Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow, thanks so much for this! I have forgotten 99% of my high school and college Latin, so this was fascinating!
    Posted 6 months ago by Pii Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Mahatam Audarika ~ Great Glutton, or Mighty Stomach (in Sanskrit)
    Posted 6 months ago by DUG1138 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I wish I could up-vote this post -- this is AMAZING and informative and fascinating!  Magic Monkey, you rock.  Outstanding work.
    Posted 6 months ago by Clarabelle Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Fantastic, Magic Monkey! And good on you for recognizing the Latin words. I never took Latin in school, which I regret. I'm not happy that most high schools don't even offer it anymore---at least here in California.
    Posted 6 months ago by GreyGoose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thank you for making Latin interesting again for me! :D  My eighth grade class got switched to Latin after all prior years taking Spanish, and we only had it once a week.  It wasn't that interesting at the time since needless to say we couldn't go to deep and weren't allowed to take our books home.  I haven't done much with the language since then, and it's been quite a few years since 8th grade (going into second year of college now).

    I know you posted some links already, but could you post links to other translation sites you used please, Magic Monkey?  Thank you! :D
    Posted 6 months ago by Kaepora Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "both the present active infinitive and the second-person singular present passive imperative"

    Mommy, why is Latin a dead language?
    Posted 6 months ago by E D D I E Subscriber! | Permalink
  • E Pluribus Unum
    Posted 6 months ago by forcep Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Awesome work MM!  Semper Gumby!
    Posted 6 months ago by b3achy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Bravo! I tip my hat, Sir.
    Posted 6 months ago by Koftun Subscriber! | Permalink
  • So THAT's what Mens Liber means! Awesome work!
    Posted 6 months ago by AwesomeCardinal2000 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, thank you MagicMonkey! I recognized the Latin (three years of the language should at least allow me to recognize it) but my Latin grammars and dictionaries are long gone. There is something so soothing about the precision of Latin grammar. You always know *excactly* where you are. And Zubes, I think you got the overall gist of the message being conveyed perfectly!
    Posted 6 months ago by Axa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I was going to do this but you did a much better job of it!
    ''Balzare'' is still in use in the Italian language but doesn't exactly mean ''jump'', which would translate in ''saltare'', but rather ''to leap'' or ''to spring''. 

    Great work!  And the overall message interpreted by Zubes is magnificent :)
    Posted 6 months ago by Zira Subscriber! | Permalink
  • wow nice!
    Posted 6 months ago by rosedragon Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That was ridiculously impressive. I thought I was a bit of a word nerd trying to figure those out, but you've got me beat by a landslide. Thanks, that was awesome!
    Posted 6 months ago by Lady Cailia Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Fantastic!  In High School I was judged "too smart" for Latin and was instead put in a special class in which the text was the "Reader's Digest" and the instructor was an assistant football coach.   Huh?  I didn't understand it either and wished for the Latin class instead.  I always suspected an ulterior motive for putting me there but I won't mention it - ancient history.  Anyway, as a result the only Latin I ever learned was what I picked up here and there.  So, I really appreciate this mini course in that ancient language.  Thanks!
    Posted 6 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ooh, also, I believe coelom is the scientific term for the mesodermic body cavity. Which could then mean justice hole, which just makes me giggle. Maybe not.
    Posted 6 months ago by Lady Cailia Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I fantasized about doing a post like this, but you did it better than I ever could.  Gratias tibi ago, o simi magicus.
    Posted 6 months ago by Pale Queen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thank you, that was fascinating! It can be annoying when you glimpse a shadow of a meaning in a street name, but you can't grasp it. Now Balzare starts making sense to me. xD
    Posted 6 months ago by Lilleh Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
    Posted 6 months ago by Eye Wonder Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The "Latin" sounds fishy, more likely dog latin.
    Posted 6 months ago by Janitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • So does this mean, for example, lots of currant quoins at Causa Arum, energy quoins at Indulcet Fames, favor quoins at Justitia Coelum, and time and/or iMG quoins at Insidias Sapienti and Mens Liber?
    Posted 6 months ago by Sirentist Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well done & so very interesting. Thanks for this post! :)
    Posted 6 months ago by Wynella Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is my absolute favourite post ever! Thank you - i loved it.

    seriously - thank you.
    Posted 6 months ago by Jugni Subscriber! | Permalink
  • excelent. Love what you've done. I know in the past some areas are related to real word languages and their derivatives for that location. Cant remember which is which though.
    Posted 6 months ago by jiva Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Very interesting post!
    Posted 6 months ago by sakmet Subscriber! | Permalink
  • oooh sirentist, you may be on to something... 
    Posted 6 months ago by Zubes Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Insidias Sapienti is more likely to be faux latin for "insider knowledge." A lot of the other ones can be read similarly as either false cognates or loosely bogus translations of common phrases — including street names found elsewhere in Ur.

    "Free your mind." (mens liber)
    "Cry me a river" (adspice lacrimis)
    "Cool beans" (Indulcet fames)
    "Whole lotta nothin'" (multum parvo)
    "Livelong day" (vivere aestas)
    "mean/hurtful words" (verbum distrust)
    "going for the gold" (causa arum)

    etc. etc.
    Posted 6 months ago by Pascale Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I noticed that with Causa Aurum, and another I forgot that I jotted down somewhere. Didn't pay the others any mind since I'm not that good with latin. Just know a couple terms from movies.
    Posted 6 months ago by I'm Chris Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have wondered since I started playing how names for streets were created.  This thread rocks.
    Posted 6 months ago by Thursday Soleil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Huh I was just wondering this last night, about the street names. You come along and provide me the answer ^^

    Some sounded Latin to me, but I've never studied it, so wasn't sure =] Guess my hunch was correct ^^

    Thank you for this post!
    Posted 6 months ago by Bunnykins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thank you all for the kind words!  It's a nice set of warm fuzzies.

    Miss Cailia, I considered mentioning that, but I didn't want to confuse the actual answer with the giggles I also get at the thought of interior justice cavities. =)

    Pascale, I'm not really seeing the faux Latin; to me it reads more like it was done by someone who hasn't studied Latin thoroughly or in a long time.  Or they were tired while they did it, or some other thing I don't know.  The translations, as I have them, seem to fit a common theme and pair well with the other speculations that someone other than the 11 giants has imagined this part of the world.  Combine that with the lack of street spirits and shrines, and it becomes even more of a stretch.  (Also, even if it was, anyone with just a dictionary or translator could rule out the "cool beans" translation as the street is named -- "fabas" is the word for beans in the phrase I mentioned, and that was the word removed.)  Given that staff have also mentioned that we'll be seeing more in the way of lore and puzzles, I have a hard time seeing it as a bunch of random half-translated phrases. 
    Posted 6 months ago by Magic Monkey Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow, MM... I am seriously impressed and genuinely grateful for your work on this. I love this game! :D
    Posted 6 months ago by Lilith Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh Kaepora, I totally missed that you'd asked for more online resources.  The primary online site I used was actually Wiktionary -- it's especially nice for irregularly declined or conjugated words since it'll link you straight to the root.  There aren't a lot of well-made sites that are specific to Latin, but I can dig up the tolerable ones I found for when I have time to give myself a refresher course if you're interested. 
    Posted 6 months ago by Magic Monkey Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Nice, thanks!
    Posted 6 months ago by plou Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Bumping this cool and WOW-ing thread up.
    Posted 5 months ago by I'm Chris Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks, Chris! I didn't see this before.
    Posted 5 months ago by Rook Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I read all of the names with my mind in the gutter I suppose. Everything has a double meaning or a baser intention when I read it. Like Climb-on-ye (which is a Scotsman in a very breezy kilt). And  Justitia Coelum reminds me of the Monty Python pun Incontinentia Buttocks. *sigh*
    Posted 5 months ago by Mistress*of*Fishies Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "balzare" has different meanings that depends on whom or what make the action:
    i.e. a ball can "balzare" (i think is jumping is eng?)
          a rabbit can "balzare" (is to hop in eng? )
    then there is the substantive "balzello"  a jump, a hop etc or... a very irrelevant thing
    Posted 5 months ago by babi Subscriber! | Permalink