I think you can omit the omnibus.
I forgot to bite on this: why not?
cum omnia alia deficiunt, mortuos simulate (?) Is the present tense appropriate? Or the future tense? (deficient… simulatote)
Now write it a hundred times by morning, or I’ll cut your balls off.
If you’re going to lead off with a preposition, we may as well replace the word we started with, quando. It goes with the perfect tense:
“Quando defecerunt omnia alia, mortuos simulate.”
I’m glad somebody posted the obvious Monty Python joke. I’ve been fighting the urge for two days.
I still feel like Brian, though… why the perfect tense? As opposed to future / future perfect / present indicative?
Never mind; :smack: I must have seen that someplace else and remembered wrong.
So if you like present indicative better, try:
Quando omnia alia deficiunt
Elendil’s Heir: Yielding to the urge to post the obvious Monty Python joke since 2004.
I wish to offer sincere gratitude to those who have contributed to my quest for a suitable translation. I want to express special thanks to Johanna and DPRK as well, you two have gone above and beyond in your efforts and I do appreciate it. In truth, I actually feel a little guilty over all the work you two have performed in this fairly meaningless question. Translating casual Latin seems to be much more of an art than science.
With that being said, I do need a final answer. My model painter (bluetablepainting.com/) is getting ready to work and I need a translation. How best would you translate “When all else fails, play dead” into a military company motto suitable for display on the company’s battle standard? Choose first person plural tense and any tone and specific phrasing you deem most appropriate.
In the first person I believe you need a hortatory subjunctive (simulemus); there is no imperative mood?
I think, as with any language, it is largely a matter of immersing yourself in the language until everything sinks into the language centres of your brain and the correct style comes effortlessly. I am still hoping a true hard-core classicist will post here and explain how a Plautine character would actually phrase things.
Case in point: what’s the difference between quando omnia alia deficiunt, tum mortuos simulemus with tum, versus without tum ? I’m thinking maybe we want a “tum” in there.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/simulo#Inflection
The OP wanted it in second person plural, not first; we’ve already gone over that.
Or just sing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0WQeng6qy0
Fair copy:
Quando omnia alia deficiunt, mortuos simulate.