One of the great gifts Latin bestows is the ability to read epitaphs, mottos – and tattoos. David Beckham is particularly keen on Latin tattoos. He has three on his body, along with the two Latinate names – ‘Victoria’ and ‘Romeo’ – of his wife and one of his sons. He has the Roman numeral VII on his right forearm, in honour of his old football shirt number, 7. Tattoo Latin is usually pretty easy to translate. Beneath that VII, he has the easy Latin, ‘Perfectio in Spiritu’. Surely all you brilliant Oldie readers know what that means? A 'nonne' question of course! His right forearm has a tricky use of the subjunctive purpose clause: ‘Ut Amem et Foveam’, which translates as 'So that I love and cherish'.
The actress Angelina Jolie also has a complex tattoo on her belly: ‘Quod me nutrit me destruit’, meaning 'That which nourishes me destroys me'.
Motto Latin is pretty basic. Can you translate Arsenal Football Club’s motto: ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’? Clue: it doesn’t mean ‘Posh Spice goes by Concorde’. Arsenal have translated it on several of their banners 'Victory through harmony'. This rewording however, foolishly omits the main verb of the clause. The correct translation is 'Victory grows out of harmony', as Arsenal have since acknowledged on their website.
