Check out some similar questions!

mgmoore808 · Jun 28, 2012, 08:14 PM

Sorry for a lengthy post, but I appreciate your help! Here it goes.

I'm looking to translate a phrase from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay 'Self Reliance.'
In latin, the quote reads: "Ne te quaesiveris extra."
Literally this translates, "do not seek outside yourself." or translated contextually "seek within."

Prefacing this request by disclosing that I don't have a great understanding of how spoken or written sanscrit works in terms of grammar. Particularly when translating from english, or latin for that matter. I do understand that sanskrit 'words' can be matched against the translated phrase in the same order for a direct transliteration. However, I am trying to avoid a translation that will read awkwardly if a native speaker were to read it.

Using some of the translation tools, I have worked out these bits:

Seek within: मार्गति नि (verb adverb, per this sites dictionary)
Do not seek outside yourself: दो नोत सीक ओउत्सिदे यौर्सेल्फ़ (straight translation from Sanskrit translation. English to Sanskrit translation. English to Sanskrit converter transliteration software. Unicode Sanskrit Editor to type in Sanskrit. Word processor software.)

My question is, given my objective of not obtaining an awkwardly transliterated phrase, which is the best way to write the phrase? If there is a better way to write it that makes sense from the perspective of a native reader or speaker, I would prefer that route.

Regardless, I can't read it, but I think the script is beautiful, and would want to honor it by getting the properly translated phrase (in case I ran across someone who does know how to read it (I don't want to look stupid :-) ).

Thank you in advance for your help.

Greg

Check out some similar questions!

Add your answer here.