# Without hope, without witness, without reward



## Catleigh

Hi everyone

Please could someone help me translate "Without hope, without witness, without reward" in to the correct Latin?

I've tried resources online but keep getting different translations and am getting confused. I am making a gift for someone and this phrase is central to it.

I would really appreciate some guidance if anyone has the time. Thank you


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## Scholiast

salvete amici!

At simplest and most literal:

_sine spe, sine teste, sine praemio_.

But without a further or wider context it is hard to know whether subtler nuances might or should be imported or integrated.

Σ


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## Catleigh

Thank you for replying to me  Im sorry, I didn't explain very well.

The meaning I am going for is along the lines of doing something without having any hope of being rewarded, not needing an audience to give you kudos, with no expectation but doing it selflessly and not for personal gain or the approval of other people.

Does that make sense?


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## Scholiast

So Catleigh (and welcome, heartily, to the Latin Forum at WR).

How about, then, simply _ex corde_ ['from the heart']?

This would epigrammatically encompass the all that as I understand it you are trying to communicate.

How would this work for you?

Σ


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## Catleigh

I would prefer to stick as close to the original Englishmen words as possible please. From the heart subtly changes the meaning for me and isn't quite what I am looking for. Sorry to be difficult.


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## Scholiast

salvete omnes

Apologies for the late reaction. This (# 5) is not 'difficult'. How about 'sine cera, sine exspectatione'? Literally 'Without wax [i.e. make-up—hence Engl. 'sincere'], without expectation [of any recompense]'?

Or just _sine cera_?

Σ


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## Catleigh

Hi

I really would just like a direct translation of those exact words as I am not looking to change the meaning, shorten it etc


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## Scholiast

Greetings once more

In that case (# 7), just go back to my original suggestion (in # 2). That is as direct and literal as you can get.

Σ


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## Catleigh

Thank you very much - I really do appreciate it


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