Re: odd phrase/translation exercise

On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 19:10:58 -0500, Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...> wrote:

>HEre in the US there is a submarine sandwich chain called "Quizno's",
>with an Italian theme, known for toasting its sandwiches.
>
>On the wall in every one of its locations I've seen, there are several
>painted-on posters. One of them is a cartoony painting of a waiter
>looking back at you with a caption that says "Non sapevo che tu fossi
>filosofo".  This is Italian for "I didn't know that you were a
>philosopher".
Putting more emphasis on the possibility, it would be "I didn't know you
could be a philosopher" meaning "I didn't know there was the possibility for
you to be a philosopher".

>It sounds like a typical waiter snarky comeback to a patron, but I was
>wondering if that particular phrase or picture had any significance
>anyone knew about?  Some reference I'm missing?
I only know "Se tacuisses, philosophem mansisses" - "If you would've been
silent, you would've stayed a philosoph" (Dunno if it's 100% correct - my
Latin is a bit rusty.)

>I also thought it'd make a good translation exercise, especially for a
>romlang. :)
In Matein Einlich:
Ech nats it nau tets iu it khan pi seilashis.
/EC nats it naU tEts i.u xan pi saIlaSis/
I not *past* know that you *past* can be philosoph.

In Intergermansk:
Jeg witte nich det du kunnte is filosof.
I knew not that you could be philosoph.

--
Pascal A. Kramm, author of:
Intergermansk: http://www.choton.org/ig/
Chatiga: http://www.choton.org/chatiga/
Choton: http://www.choton.org
Ichwara Prana: http://www.choton.org/ichwara/
Skälansk: http://www.choton.org/sk/
Advanced English: http://www.choton.org/ae/