Translating "Never Say Die"

[Andrew Fabbro]

I'm trying to translate "Never Say Die".

Obviously, a literal translation won't work, since it's an idiom.
Something like "never quit" would be a close sense translation.

Perhaps "numquam decede". That's the present imperative singular
in the active voice (I think). I'm thinking of it as an order.

Is numquam right in this context?

Whitaker's gives decedere as a 3rd conjugation verb:
"quit office and return home; make/get out of the way; yield; wane;
fall short;"

Or perhaps "numquam desere". Whitaker's (also 3rd conj.):
"leave/depart/quit/desert; forsake/abandon/give up; withdraw support,
let down;"

Or perhaps "numquam linque" (not sure on that ending - it's also 3rd
conj.). Whitaker's:
"leave, quit, forsake; abandon, desist from; allow to remain in place;
bequeath;"

There's also dedere ("give up/in, surrender; abandon/consign/devote
(to); yield, hand/deliver over;") or "succumbere" ("|surrender; yield;
lay under; lie under/submit (female to male); cohabit (L+S);").

I found "nil desperandum" on the Internet, but that is "never
despair". It made me wonder about numquam...perhaps nil is better? I
haven't gotten this far in my Latin class yet ;-)

I'm looking more for the "keep going no matter what the cost," "never
give in", "never quit", e.g., a soldier who keeps going no matter what
or a marathon runner who refuses to quit in the face of great pain,
etc.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[Johannes Patruus]

Andrew Fabbro wrote:
> I'm trying to translate "Never Say Die".
>
> Obviously, a literal translation won't work, since it's an idiom.
> Something like "never quit" would be a close sense translation.
>
> Perhaps "numquam decede". That's the present imperative singular
> in the active voice (I think). I'm thinking of it as an order.
>
> Is numquam right in this context?
>
> Whitaker's gives decedere as a 3rd conjugation verb:
> "quit office and return home; make/get out of the way; yield; wane;
> fall short;"
>
> Or perhaps "numquam desere". Whitaker's (also 3rd conj.):
> "leave/depart/quit/desert; forsake/abandon/give up; withdraw support,
> let down;"
>
> Or perhaps "numquam linque" (not sure on that ending - it's also 3rd
> conj.). Whitaker's:
> "leave, quit, forsake; abandon, desist from; allow to remain in place;
> bequeath;"
>
> There's also dedere ("give up/in, surrender; abandon/consign/devote
> (to); yield, hand/deliver over;") or "succumbere" ("|surrender; yield;
> lay under; lie under/submit (female to male); cohabit (L+S);").
>
> I found "nil desperandum" on the Internet, but that is "never
> despair". It made me wonder about numquam...perhaps nil is better? I
> haven't gotten this far in my Latin class yet ;-)

Eugene Ehrlich, in his Dictionary of Latin Tags and Phrases, gives "Never
say die" as his main translation for "Nil desperandum", adding that the
literal meaning is "Nothing is to be despaired of".

The same correlation may be observed here:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22never%20say%20die%22%20desperandum

> I'm looking more for the "keep going no matter what the cost," "never
> give in", "never quit", e.g., a soldier who keeps going no matter what
> or a marathon runner who refuses to quit in the face of great pain,
> etc.

There may well be a stock idiom for this, but what it might be I cannot
think at the moment.

Patruus

> Any thoughts appreciated.

[Johannes Patruus]

How about "Persta atque obdura" (persevere and be steadfast) (Horace, Satire
II.5.39)?

Patruus

[Ed Cryer]

"Andrew Fabbro" <andrew...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1192032486.9...@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com...

I think "nil desperandum" covers that to a "t".

You can, of course, expand on it in a zillion ways. Things like "every
cloud has a silver lining"; "keep right on to the end of the road";
"keep your powder dry"; "where there's a will there's a way"; "life goes
on".

But "nil desperandum" is used in English almost as much as "never say
die" is.

Ed

[B. T. Raven]

Noli pedem referre
Ne umquam cedas
Dent animos plagae
Ne animo deficias

but "nil desperandum" is very close

[Kevin O'Donnell]

Nolite mollire.
Coemgenus

"Andrew Fabbro" <andrew...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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