# Silence has a meaning/El silencio tiene un significado



## Aldo Escutia

Hello everyone. Someone can help me to translate "silence has a meaning" to latin. I have found many translations and I need someone to help me to make sure of which one is the correct. The ways I found:

Silentium est significatio
Silentium habet significationem
Silentium significationem habet

Or no one of this are correct? and in that case what is the correct translation?

Thank you in advance

Hola a todos. Alguien podria ayudarme a traducir "el silencio tiene un significado" al latin. He encontrado varias traducciones y necesito de alguien que me ayude para estar seguro de cual es la mas correcta. Las formas que encontre son:

Silentium est significatio
Silentium habet significationem
Silentium significationem habet

O ninguna de estas es correcta? Y en su caso entonces cual seria la traduccion mas acertada?

Gracias de antemano


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## wandle

Aldo Escutia said:


> Silentium est significatio
> Silentium habet significationem
> Silentium significationem habet


These are all correct. The latter two are literal translations, in optional word order, of 'Silence has a meaning'.
The first has a different sense: 'Silence is an indication'.

Another way: _silens loquitur_, 'Being silent, he (or she) speaks'.


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## Aldo Escutia

wandle said:


> These are all correct. The latter two are literal translations, in optional word order, of 'Silence has a meaning'.
> The first has a different sense: 'Silence is an indication'.
> 
> Another way: _silens loquitur_, 'Being silent, he (or she) speaks'.




Hello, what I understand to your answer then it seems that the literal translation for "silence has a meaning" is the second and third option, that is, both are correct for the phrase I want to translate and the order of the words in this case doesn't affect the literal transalation, right? I Just want to make sure about this

Thank you!


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## voltape

Prefiero la tercera - El latín suele mandar al verbo al final (como el alemán).


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## Hercules Grytpype-Thynne

voltape said:


> Prefiero la tercera - El latín suele mandar al verbo al final (como el alemán).


German word order is much stricter than Latin word order.  In Latin the usual order is verb-final, but other orders are never ungrammatical;  they just reflect differences of emphasis.


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## Scholiast

salvete!

Just to suggest a minor modification to wandle's observations (# 2):

_silentium loquitur _('Silence speaks')...

...has a certain paradoxical and epigrammatic pungency.

As Hercules _noster_ says (# 5), the order is immaterial, and the impact might be even greater with _loquitur silentium.
_
Σ


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## Aldo Escutia

Scholiast said:


> salvete!
> 
> Just to suggest a minor modification to wandle's observations (# 2):
> 
> _silentium loquitur _('Silence speaks')...
> 
> ...has a certain paradoxical and epigrammatic pungency.
> 
> As Hercules _noster_ says (# 5), the order is immaterial, and the impact might be even greater with _loquitur silentium.
> _
> Σ



As you said, if the order is immaterial, then what is the best translation for 'Silence has a meaning?

_Silentium habet significationem_ or _Silentium significationem habet
_
It's for a tattoo so I want this to represent my personality with the best impact of the phrase

Thanks in advance


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## Scholiast

@Aldo Escutia, hola!

If I had a £ (or even an €) for every tattoo-motto I have drafted or recommended here at WR I could retire to the Bahamas.

Honestly, the _...significationem habet _formulation, whatever the word-order, sounds to me clunky and clumsy. It is grammatically correct, but I persist in thinking that _silentium loquitur_ ("Silence speaks") is more eloquent and effective. You could also try _silentium eloquitur_, "Silence is eloquent".

I wonder what wandle (# 2) thinks. He is one of the best Latinists who regularly contribute in this Forum.

Σ


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## Aldo Escutia

Scholiast said:


> @Aldo Escutia, hola!
> 
> If I had a £ (or even an €) for every tattoo-motto I have drafted or recommended here at WR I could retire to the Bahamas.
> 
> Honestly, the _...significationem habet _formulation, whatever the word-order, sounds to me clunky and clumsy. It is grammatically correct, but I persist in thinking that _silentium loquitur_ ("Silence speaks") is more eloquent and effective. You could also try _silentium eloquitur_, "Silence is eloquent".
> 
> I wonder what wandle (# 2) thinks. He is one of the best Latinists who regularly contribute in this Forum.
> 
> Σ




Thank you for the advice, I will consider it


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## wandle

Scholiast said:


> I persist in thinking that _silentium loquitur_ ("Silence speaks") is more eloquent and effective. You could also try _silentium eloquitur_, "Silence is eloquent".
> I wonder what wandle (# 2) thinks.


Those are certainly good suggestions. Personally, I prefer _silens loquitur, _because it is short and expresses the idea 'whoever is silent, speaks (by being so)'.


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## Scholiast

Greetings _de novo_


wandle said:


> Personally, I prefer _silens loquitur_, because it is short and expresses the idea 'whoever is silent, speaks...'


On further reflection, yes, I think wandle has got it. Latin has an amazing capacity to convey so much with pungency and point.
Σ


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