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I have totally no clue about Latin language, but I need translation for the title to my music project. The answer is not "Magnum Opus Dei".

I would like to know what's in Latin: Polish - Wielkie Dzieło Stworzenia, English - The Great Work of Creation/The Great Act of Creation/The Great Art of Creation (the thing is, I can't translate it from polish to english good enough in my opinion; all these english tries don't have so much epicness and might in themselves). I don't want the word "god" in it. The meaning bonds with the creation of the world by God in christian beliefs, but I'm interested in naming only the act, not the being responsible for it.

These mean almost the same, although I prefer to translate Polish version, every try will be appreciated. :) I will be very thankful for your time and energy.

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    Welcome! I suggest taking a look at these instructions about posting translation questions. In which context do you want to use the phrase? Have you consulted online Latin dictionaries to find words that mean the right thing? We can help with finding the correct forms.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Aug 23, 2016 at 19:22
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    For those who don't speak Polish, can you explain what nuance the phrase has that you don't think is captured by "great work/act/art"? Until that is clarified, magnum opus is going to be the standing recommendation :)
    – brianpck
    Aug 23, 2016 at 23:27

1 Answer 1

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So you gave three possible English translations, and here are some literal Latin translations of them.

  1. Magnum Opus Genesis
  2. Magnum Factum Genesis
  3. Magna Ars Genesis

Now, here is something to keep in mind. It sound as if "creation" is supposed to have some relatively amorphous religious sense, and there are other words that might capture this better, as they were used in a religious sense.

  • creatio, creationis, f.
  • plasmatio, plasmationis, f.
  • creatura, creaturae, f. (this one doesn't have Christian undertones)

If you wanted to use these in place of genesis, then make sure to use the genitive, which would be the second word in the entries bullet-pointed above.

You could also try something like magnum opus creatum, which would literally translate to "great work having been created," if that sounds better for you. When translating phrases like this, where the "goodness" of the end result is entirely subjective, choose what sounds the best to you. Look at online dictionaries like this one and this one, which I use primarily to find synonyms that might work better. Just make sure to properly decline your nouns. Good luck!

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  • +1. Yet another option for "creation" would be creatura. I would go with magnum opus creationis (if it refers to a single piece of work) or ars magna creationis (if it refers to the art of creation as a whole). If the OP wants to avoid a Christian tone, then genesis (not genisis if my memory serves me well) might be a bad word.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Aug 23, 2016 at 22:01
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    genesis is a Greek word which is not even the typical way of saying "creation" (ktisis, v. ktizo). Genesis is more like "origin." Either way, I think creatio is better.
    – brianpck
    Aug 23, 2016 at 23:26
  • @JoonasIlmavirta Thank you for catching that! I'll add creatura as an option.
    – Sam K
    Aug 23, 2016 at 23:35
  • @brianpck According to L&S, it can mean "creation." I chose genesis for my examples because it was the only one that came up from L&S through the website I used. The other options were from another site that doesn't cite/define as well.
    – Sam K
    Aug 23, 2016 at 23:39
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    First of all, it is genesis, not "genisis". Genesis means "creation" in Christian Latin. In classical Latin it means "birth, coming into being of a particular thing", not the "creation" of the world as a whole.
    – fdb
    Aug 24, 2016 at 15:29

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