# Latin Translations

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 12, 2000, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845 "2000-09-12T02:09:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Serendipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Serendipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serendipity)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845/1 "2000-09-12T02:09:53Z")

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Oooh, this is frightening – my first post in GQ. 🙂 Anyway, here’s my question. Does anyone know the Latin translation for the phrase “let the dead teach the living.” I saw it on a sign in my local hospital’s morgue, and now that I want to incorporate it into an essay for my writing seminar, I can’t remember it. Arrrggghhh! The fact that the only other foreign languages that I speak (in the loosest sense of the word) are Irish and German doesn’t help matters. Any ideas?

With much thanks,  
Jessica

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845/2 "2000-09-12T02:50:55Z")

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“Et-lay uh-thay ed-day each-tay uh-thay iving-lay.”

Duh. 😃

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**Author:** ![Serendipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Serendipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serendipity)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845/3 "2000-09-12T03:07:14Z")

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Oh, come on, Smeghead – it’s not nice to tease us newbies. 😃 Anyone have a _real_ answer?

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845/4 "2000-09-12T03:20:58Z")

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This isn’t so much about translation. There are too many ways the English phrase could be translated. But there is a semi-famous quotation in Latin: _Mortui vivos docent_, “The dead teach the living.” (Not “Let the dead teach the living”, which would be subjunctive _doceant_.)

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845/5 "2000-09-12T03:28:36Z")

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Mortûa vîvum doceant.

(The carats should be straight lines, but I don’r know an ASCII code to produce them.)

(And I’ve probably bungled it anyway.)

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845/6 "2000-09-12T03:38:40Z")

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Yeah, I confused the adjectival endings for the 1st/2d declension mortuus for third declension nouns in the dictionary. (I think vivos mught be an irregular, as well.)

Mortûi vivos doceant. Let the dead teach the living.

Mortûi vivos docent. The dead teach the living.

Pay attention to **bibliophage**.

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**Author:** ![Serendipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Serendipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serendipity)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845/7 "2000-09-12T05:12:09Z")

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Thanks, guys. It’s very much appreciated. Hooray for the teeming millions! 😃

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**Author:** ![Aglarond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Aglarond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aglarond)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-translations/32845/8 "2000-09-12T14:03:15Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by tomndebb \*  
> \*\*Yeah, I confused the adjectival endings for the 1st/2d declension mortuus for third declension nouns in the dictionary. (I think vivos mught be an irregular, as well.)  
> \*\*

Anybody else having ‘Life of Brian’ flashbacks?