# Please translate this **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2000, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247 "2000-05-11T17:33:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kent4mmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/34f0e0/32.png) [@Kent4mmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent4mmy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/1 "2000-05-11T17:33:05Z")
My boss has this as a sig: Sic hoc legere scis nimium erunditionis habis Anyone know what it means? ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/2 "2000-05-11T18:02:04Z")
It means soething like. Just as we collect great knowledge (?) it also disappears. This is a result of my uneducated ass using an online latin to English translator or two. The translators that I used did not like the word “erunditionis” at all. It would be cool if someone who actually knew something decided to chime in. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/3 "2000-05-11T18:06:00Z")
I’m prett sure it translates to “If you can read this you’re overeducated”. I too had trouble with the online latin translators, but I know little about latin so I guess that’s not a big surprise. Maybe someone who speaks latin can tell us what’s going on. But I’m pretty sure that my translation is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/4 "2000-05-11T18:30:26Z")
Trion is correct. Sic hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habis. There was a spelling error (an extra n in eruditionis.) If thou knowst how to read this, thou hast an excess of instruction. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2000, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/5 "2000-05-11T20:36:50Z")
“A fool, unless he knows Latin, is never a great fool.” –Spanish proverb. I know Latin, _ergo_, I must be great. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/6 "2000-05-11T22:15:08Z")
I’ve seen that as a bumper sticker. If you can read this, you’re highly educated, and you’re also too close. I don’t remember the exact quote, but it’s probably from Beard. ---
**Author:** ![Suo\_Na](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Suo\_Na](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suo_Na)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/7 "2000-05-11T23:14:37Z")
_Quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur_ – Whatever is said in Latin sounds impressive ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/8 "2000-05-12T08:54:14Z")
I’m sure there are plenty of people here with a much better understanding of Latin than I have, but I thought I’d take a guess. I agree with **Arnold Winkelried** ’s translation, “If you know how to read this, you have an excess of knowledge.” where knowledge is in the sense of education. However, there are two spelling mistakes that I can see: The first word should be **Si** , not **Sic**. Also, the last word should be **habes** , not **habis**. You could probably get by with leaving the first word as **Sic** , but it would then read, “Just as you know how…”. The other one, though, as far as I can tell, is just a plain typo or misspelling or something. You should go tell your boss. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/9 "2000-05-12T12:22:00Z")
Yeah, send the sig line back to your boss corrected. He might give you a raise. 😃 ---
**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:** [May 12, 2000, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/10 "2000-05-12T17:25:19Z")
> [@](#): > > **The first word should be Si, not Sic. Also, the last word should be habes, not habis.** _Sic_, if not just a mistake, would best be translated “inasmuch as”. _Habis_ is just a mistake, but I didn’t catch it myself. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/11 "2000-05-12T17:37:56Z")
So can someone post the links to the online Latin translators? I’ve been unable to find any in previous searches. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/12 "2000-05-12T17:42:32Z")
Perhaps your boss misspelled it intentionally, therefore it becomes " If you can read this, AND offer opinion on what I really meant to write, then you are REALLY over-educated." ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/13 "2000-05-12T17:51:59Z")
I was pretty close with my translation. If the word “pretty” was synonymous with “not.” Hell, if you let me do the translating, it just might be. How do you write, “If you can correct the spelling errors in this, you are truly overeducated,” in Latin? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-translate-this/19247/14 "2000-05-12T18:05:24Z")
I agree with bibliophage, “sic” can fit the sentence, and “habis” is a spelling error. (I didn’t notice that either the first time! My latin days are years behind me now.) redtail23, for latin translators, use a search engine. e.g. go to [http://www.yahoo.com](http://www.yahoo.com) and type in the search field “latin english dictionary”. Here’s the one I use. [Latin-English dictionary](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/Latin/).