“Negima! Latinity”
Notes for the Translations of the Cards
General Notes for the Translations of the Cards
These cards show Latinized versions of the names of the characters. In Latin, the letters i and j are often pronounced like the y in yes when they appear before a vowel in one syllable. The word iubet (meaning they are commanding) sounds rather like the English phrase you bet. So Japanese “y”s are rendered on the cards as Latin “j”s. Japanese “k”s are rendered as Latin “c,” Japanese “chi”s are rendered as Latin “ti”s, and Japanese “shi”s are rendered as “si”s.
Ministralis is an adjectival form of minister (male who serves another person) and ministra (female who serves another person). The words minister (masculine) and ministra (feminine) may be translated as follower or attendant.
Abeat means let he/she/it go away or may he/she/it go away. Abi (said to one person) and abite (said to more than one person) means go way" (direct command).
Adeat means let he/she/it come or may he/she/it come. Come forth or come (direct commands) would be adi (if you are telling one person to come) or adite (if you are telling more than one person to come).
A pactio is an agreement, a pact, or a paction. A possible Latin adjective for this would be pactionalis.
Tonus means color tone. Here are some color tones: The Color Red (Rubor), the Color Blue (Caeruleum), the Color Green (Viride), the Color Yellow (Flavum), the Color Dark Blue (Cyaneum), the Color Purple (Purpura), the color Violet (Viola), the Color Orange (Luteum), the Color Pink (Roseum), the Color White (Album), the Color Black (Nigror), the Color Gold (Aurum), the Color Silver (Argentum), and Rainbow Color (Prisma). There are some misspellings in the Japanese manga: “caerula” and “virude.” 藍 can be translated as Indigo, but Cyaneum usually means Dark Blue. The color on Nodoka’s card is dark blue. Roseum can mean Rose-Color, but it can also mean Pink. The color on Makie’s card is pink.
Virtus means virtue. Four of the virtues are from Plato’s Republic: wisdom (Greek: σοφία; Latin: sapientia; Japanese: 知恵), courage (Greek: ἀνδρεία; Latin: audacia; Japanese: 勇気), temperance (Greek: σωφροσύνη; Latin: temperantia; Japanese: 節制), and justice (Greek: δικαιοσύνη; Latin: justitia; Japanese: 正義). The other three virtues are from Corinthians 13:13 of the Bible: faith (Latin: fides), hope (Latin: spes), and charity (Latin: caritas).
Directio means direction. Here are the directions: east (oriens), west (occidens), south (auster), north (septentrio), and the center (centrum).
Astralitas is meant to pertain to a person's association with a guardian planet. In astrology, even the Sun and Moon are considered planets. I have decided to translate astralitas as star affinity. Here are some celestial bodies: The Moon (Luna), the Sun (Sol), Mars, Venus, Mercury (Mercurius), Jupiter, Saturn (Saturnus), Uranus, Neptune (Neptunus), Pluto, comet (cometes), shooting star (fax), starry sky (caelus sideralis), and black hole (nigrum foramen).
My dictionaries do not list the word reportatrix, but I can explain its meaning and its origin. It comes from the Latin verb reporto, meaning to carry back (something, such as an account or story) and hence to report. Latin uses the suffix -or (which is masculine in gender) that is appended generally to the root of a perfect passive participle to create an agent noun indicating a person who does something. What is a perfect passive participle? It is form of a verb that a) acts rather like an adjective, b) indicates an action that was already done to something c) in the past. In English, the perfect passive participle can be translated as [verb]-ed or having been [verb]-ed. Amatus, for instance, means loved or having been loved. At any rate, the root of the perfect passive participle form of reporto is reportat-, so you place the -or at the end to get reportator. A reportator is a person who does the reporting because he was the one who caused the thing (an account, for instance) to be reported. (Obviously.) But reportator is masculine, so the ending changes to reportatrix to make the feminine version. Reporter is a good translation of reportatrix.
真実を暴く報告者 means something like reporter who discloses truth. REPORTER WHO DISCLOSES is one way to think of what REPORTATRIX DENUDANS says even though it is not a literal translation. Revealing Reporter may give someone the impression that Kazumi is an exhibitionist. The Latin title doesn't mention anything about truth even if the Japanese translation does.
A philosophaster is an amateur or fake philosopher. The Latin word for female philosopher is philosopha. The Japanese translation of the title is 解説するエセ哲学者.
Infirmaria is a Latin word for nurse (I would have used nosocoma). Traumate is a form of the Greek word τραῦμα (trauma, meaning injury). The Japanese translation of the title is: 傷を負った看護士.
Bellatrix can mean warlike, but its main meaning is female warrior.
Asuna’s weapon bears the inscription MINISTRA NEGII ASUNA, meaning ATTENDANT OF NEGI ASUNA. NEGII is a genitive, singular form of Negi, which can be translated as …of Negi (Japanese: ネギィ...). The second I in NEGII is a long vowel, so it may be written as NEGII.
REGINA usually means queen, but that does not seem to be the intended idea here. According to the Japanese translation 癒しなす姫君, "princess" seems to be the idea.
In classical Latin, Iuppiter (with two “p”s) is usually used as the masculine, nominative, singular form of Jupiter’s name.
Note for the Setsuna and Chisame Cards
Nigror is a noun that means blackness or the color black, not an adjective that means black.
Gladiarius and its feminine form gladiaria are usually adjectives that mean of swords. The masculine form can be used to refer to a sword-cutler. However, in Setsuna’s case, gladiaria can literally refer to a person who is associated with a sword (particularly one who wields a sword). The best way to render that in English, I think, is SWORDSWOMAN.
Originally, I translated the Latin title as FIVE-FOLD EQUIPMENT because I was under the impression that the ARMATURA was the Latin word armatura that means equipment. Moreover, I thought it was strange that the Japanese word 武装者 (a person with equipment or a person who has been equipped) was being used as a translation of ARMATURA. Later, I realized what the ARMATURA is really trying to say. It sometimes refers to armed soldiers (when used as a noun that is plural in meaning, but singular in form). The -ura suffix indicates the result of an action. The status of Makie as an armed person was the result of her being equipped. (Similarly, the status of aforementioned armed soldiers was the result of their being armed.) In that case ARMATURA in the Latin title means something like 武装者 (a person who was equipped).
None of my Latin dictionaries have the word hilaratrix, but I can tell what it is supposed to mean. Hilaratrix was formed by same methods used to come up with reportatrix. It derives from the verb hilarare, meaning to cheer. The root of the perfect passive participle form of hilarare is hilarat-, so that makes hilarator (masculine) and hilaratrix (feminine). We have a word, hilaratrix, that means she who cheers. So hilaratrix acts as a good Neo-Latin word for cheerleader.
I have to admit that CHEERLEADER WHO BRINGS GOOD LUCK is not a literal translation of HILARATRIX FORTUNANS, but making-good-luck cheerleader (which would be the literal translation) sounds awkward in English. 幸運をもたらすチアガール means essentially the same thing.
Luteum and its grammatical forms can refer to the colors orange, yellow, and orange-yellow. In this case, luteum refers to orange.
Notes for the Fuka and Fumika Card
I would have Latinized Fuka’s name as FUKA, where the U is long because the u in Fuka’s name is long.
GEMINAE can mean twins (plural feminine noun) or twin- (plural feminine adjective). 仮装する双子 refers to twins who are masquerading. Simulatrices is the plural form of simulatrix, meaning she who transforms or even female pretender. However, those ideas do not seem to be relevant here. Simulatrix came from the verb simulo, which can mean masquerade. Although simulatrix can refer to a female masquerader, it can also be used adjectivally (like how bellatrix can mean female warrior or warlike). If GEMINAE is used as a noun, and SIMULATRICES is used as an adjective, it can mean MASQUERADING TWINS or 仮装する双子.
MACINATRIX should be MACHINATRIX. MACHINATRIX can mean inventress, but it looks like it should be translated as MACHINIST here. I think it is cute how Satomi is called insane. That reminds me of a certain Latin proverb: “Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit” ("There has not been any great talent without an element of madness”).
Argentum (a noun) refers to the metal, not to the color. The usual Latin adjective that refers to the color silver is argenteus (and its forms).
Virtuale is a Medieval Latin word, but obviously, it was not used in the computer-related sense back then.
I suppose MAGISTRA PUPARUM can be translated as Puppet Master, but it seems that Doll is more associated with Evangeline on the official merchandise. Doll Master is another possible translation, but MISTRESS OF DOLLS better reflects the grammatical meanings of the words in the phrase.
Viola actually refers to the flower, not to the color. The color word in Latin is violaceus (and its forms).
Athanasia (ἀθανασία) means immortality in Greek.
Ecaterina is a Romanian form of the name Katerina. The English version of the name is Catherine, and a cute version of that is Kitty.
Bibliothecarius refers to a male librarian, so bibliothecaria should refer to a female one.
The seven books near the top read “rhetorica” (rhetorica), “grammatica,” “dialectica,” “arithmetica” (arithmetica), “geometrica” (geometrica), “astronomia,” and “musica” (musica). The words mean rhetoric, grammar, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. Those are the septem artes liberales (the Seven Free Arts), the main subjects taught at European universities during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
The card’s left side reads “Kinder- und Hausmärchen” (“Children’s and Household Tales”). That is the title of the Grimm Brothers’ famous collection of German fairy tales.
Nodoka is holding a book that reads “EJUS DIARIUM,” meaning her diary.
Aurum (a noun) refers to the metal, not to the color. The usual Latin adjective that refers to the color gold is aureus (and its forms).
上流階級者 means person of the upper class. Burgensis is mainly an adjective that means from a fortified town, but when it is used as an noun, it means citizen.
Latinitas Negimaria | Important Latin Sources
Paginae Latinitatis | DIES GAUDII
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