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Main  ::  Translations - per Carmen  ::  Carmen 16  ::  More prafanity in the first lines

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AuthorMessage
Theodore8711
Posted on Fri Oct 01, 2010 07:27:32  
I have to strongly disagree with the current translation. For once, those who are not keen on British-English idioms may perhaps miss out on the crudeness and I also think that they do not convey the level of force that exists in these expressions. The languages suggests almost as if he was about to molest them in a violent way.

Pedicabo vos et irrumabo - I will $#$% you and force you to suck me!

For the second line, I would perhaps suggest transliterating the terms pathicus and cinaedus, words that have the very same amount of passive homosexual connotations, with more modern phrases such as "fag" and "bitch", words that also imply effeminacy and passivity.
Chris Weimer
Posted at Tue Oct 05, 2010 01:55:10  Quote
Quote:
  I have to strongly disagree with the current translation. For once, those who are not keen on British-English idioms may perhaps miss out on the crudeness and I also think that they do not convey the level of force that exists in these expressions. The languages suggests almost as if he was about to molest them in a violent way.

Pedicabo vos et irrumabo - I will $#$% you and force you to suck me!

For the second line, I would perhaps suggest transliterating the terms pathicus and cinaedus, words that have the very same amount of passive homosexual connotations, with more modern phrases such as "fag" and "bitch", words that also imply effeminacy and passivity.


This poem is one of those that hardly anyone wants to translate literally. You can't even find good definitions for paedico and irrumo in the Oxford Latin Dictionary. I personally translated the first line as:

"I will $#$% your ass and rape your mouth". Ultimately, though, the translator isn't *wrong* considering that it's all poetics anyway. It's consistent with some translation method. Furthermore, if the non-British student were to google Catullus 16, they could easily get some more idiomatic translations. As far as the owner changing the translation, although I can't speak definitively for him, I'm not positive they'll go for a more blunt and offensive translation for the website despite the fact that it's more original to Catullus, especially when the current translation isn't wrong.
Guest
Posted at Wed Apr 30, 2014 02:43:07  Quote
I think it's simply wrong: in no way it conveys the effect or the meaning written by Catullus, it avoids the original.

It happens in Portuguese too.
Guest
Posted at Tue Nov 10, 2015 14:17:43  Quote
I"ll pack your fudge and skull $#$% you
Aurelius...... One Eight Seven with my dick in yer mouth!
Furius......BEEEE-ATCH!


It is just so much essier to rhyme romance languages.... Lots of "O"s on the end....
 


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