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  3. General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

it's hard to give a shit these days

14:04 Jul 26, 2009
English to Latin translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
English term or phrase: it's hard to give a shit these days
The phrase is from the Lou Reed song Romeo and Juliet:

I'll take Manhattan in a garbage bag
with Latin written on it that says
"it's hard to give a shit these days"

Obviously the translation should reflect the crass tenor of the original.
Konrad Talmont-Kaminski
Local time: 21:28


Summary of answers provided
4 +1hodierno tempore difficile est aliquod flocci facere
Joseph Brazauskas
4his temporibus non facile flocci faci quiddam potest
Ivo Volt
4nunc difficile est curam alicuius agere
Luis Antonio de Larrauri
4ASPERUM AESTIMARE FIMI ALIQUID HODIE
jamesMG


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


14 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
hodierno tempore difficile est aliquod flocci facere


Explanation:
In Plautus and Terence 'flocci facere' is used to express indifference or apathy to someone or something. Cicero uses the negative --'non flocci facere'--in his Epistulae to express a poor opinion of somone or something. 'Floccus' is a tuft of wool.

Luis' Catullan suggestion--'non assis facere' ('not to value worth a penny')--employs the same grammatical construction (genitive of price or value) and suggests essentially the same idea. There is no literal translation in Latin (or Greek) for "It's hard to give a shit these days", but our suggestions do convey the same, or at least a very similar, notion.

Joseph Brazauskas
United States
Local time: 15:28
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 24

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ivo Volt
39 days
  -> Thanks.
neutral  Luis Antonio de Larrauri: The example with floccus is good, but: the form aliquod is always used as an adjective, not a pronoun. I just want to note also that Flocci facere has not a the same sense in Plaut and Ter. In Plaut: to take some notice In Ter: not appreciate too much
41 days
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54 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
his temporibus non facile flocci faci quiddam potest


Explanation:
Just an alternative.

Ivo Volt
Estonia
Local time: 22:28
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EstonianEstonian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Joseph Brazauskas: I suspect that 'faci' is a slip for 'fieri', but even so, I'm not sure that I can make any sense of here. For the meaning seems to be. "These days it isn't possible for a certain thing to become of little consequence".
3 hrs
  -> agree! it was probably too late at night :-)
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3 days 20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
nunc difficile est curam alicuius agere


Explanation:
Literally, It's hard to care about anyone these days.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 days (2009-07-31 11:02:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

No, it doesn't work that way. It is true, Catullus uses that expression in a poem, and in that context means "you don't care at all", but: the literal-adapted translation of "non assis facis" is "you don't give it even the value of a cent". The "even" is understood. So, "non assis facis" and "assis facere" are not opposite expressions. Assis facere means to give something the value of a cent (you don't care), and "non assis facere" is worse, you wouldn't give even a cent for it (you don't care at all).

So, you couldn't use "assis facis" in the sense of caring, because it means just the opposite.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 56 days (2009-09-21 08:58:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Joseph is right, alicuius can refer either to "anyone" or "anything", so my translation is all the more suitable for your purpose, Konrad, because it can be applied not only to people, but also to things.

Luis Antonio de Larrauri
Local time: 21:28
Works in field
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 12
Notes to answerer
Asker: I found another suggestion on the internet and wonder what you think of it: "non assis facis" from Catullus can be translated as "doesn't give a shit/damn" so we could get something like autem assis facere difficilis, dropping the est because it's understood.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Joseph Brazauskas: It's not at all clear from the context whether "It's hard to give a shit these days" refers to a person. "Anything" is just as likely a referent as "anyone". On the other hand, "alicuius" could be translated as either "anyone" or "anything".
50 days
  -> Yes, but the asker (see discussion) says it refers to anything or anyone, so the context is clarified in this case.
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671 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
it\'s hard to give a shit these days
ASPERUM AESTIMARE FIMI ALIQUID HODIE


Explanation:
ASPERUM AESTIMARE FIMI ALIQUID HODIE

it's hard to give a shit these days


Explanation:
according to the United States of Poetry.Org (the film and book "combines images from the breakthrough TV series on which it is based with over 80 poems to reveal this nation as never before") and features Lou Reed's Romeo Had Juliette song, now called a poem, in the Love And Sex section.

http://www.worldofpoetry.org/usop/love5.htm

their translation (or maybe mr.reeds?) is this: *ASPERUM AESTIMARE FIMI ALIQUID HODIE

Example sentence(s):
*ASPERUM AESTIMARE FIMI ALIQUID HODIE


Example sentence(s):
  • ASPERUM AESTIMARE FIMI ALIQUID HODIE

    Reference: http://www.worldofpoetry.org/usop/love5.htm
    Reference: http://www.worldofpoetry.org/awop_bob.htm
jamesMG
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