Hoc est ridiculam.

     "This is funny." For those of you who are not up on your Latin, that is what the title of this post translates to in English. It's been a fun evening playing with the English to Latin translator.  I started out with grand intentions, Magnificum Intentiones, using this thing.

     I've been tossing the idea around in my head as to why I want to write. What motivates me to put words on a page? What do I have to say? What is my voice? I decided the perfect title for the post would be a Latin phrase. Not the ever popular Ricky Martin, Latin. I mean old school Caesar Latin.

     "Hear my voice" is "Exaudi vocem". "Listen to my voice" is " Audire vocem meam". "My words. My voice. My world." is "Verba mea. Vocem meam. Mea mundi."  All of which are great titles. I'm sure I'll be using one of these very soon. It was then I started thinking about the word 'funny'. What is funny in Latin? 'ridiculam'.

     I remembered those famous words of the great Julius Caesar. "I came, I saw, I conquered." "Veni, vidi, vici." Which led me to remember a great parody "Veni, Vidi, Veggie" "I came, I saw, I had salad."  By the way, translates to "Veni, vidi, comedi magna." Still funny! By the time I was done with the translation of a wide variety of phrases I morphed into a 12 year old boy. "Kiss my butt" is "Oscula Dolium". "Stupid is as stupid does." is "Stultus est sicut stultus facit." That doesn't quite have the same ring when you put that phrase in Forrest Gump's mouth, does it?

     I remembered another great phrase in French  "c'est la vie, c'est la guerre, c'est une pomme de terre." "That is life, that is war, that is a potato." It's a fun rhyme in French but the history of that phrase eludes me. The only thing a Google search tells me is war has been declared by the potato industry against the USDA for trying to pull potatoes from school lunches. No spud left behind! Not a lot of help there.
    
     No matter what language I still want my voice to be heard. "Exaudi vocem." "Ακούστε τη φωνή μου." "Slyší můj hlas." "Hör min röst." "Escucha mi voz." "Entends ma voix."  Just in case you are wondering "Kiss my butt." in Chinese is "亲亲我的屁股."

                                                                                         Jester Reggie