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How do I translate the title of my dissertation thesis into Latin?

Energy storage: Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, Renewable-Hydrogen integration for home usage

Here is my best try:

Energy praeclusio: Hydrogenium et Esca Cellulis, Renewable-Hydrogenii et cibus amet, Integration pro domum usus

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    Welcome to the site! Did you want the title translated into Latin purely for aesthetics or style reasons, or does having it in Latin also relate to the content of the thesis itself? – Adam Feb 26 at 17:29
  • I need just the title translated, problem is, as you can see in my attempt, renewable and integration are still in English and the University System flags the whole topic as not being in Latin. – Pozeidon Feb 26 at 19:04
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    Can't really argue with the University System there 😉 – Sebastian Koppehel Feb 26 at 20:09
  • Please help me with the right translation. – Pozeidon Feb 26 at 20:18
  • I hope you write and defend the whole dissertation in Latin. – Ben Kovitz Feb 27 at 7:22
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The translation you have is gibberish and sounds machine-translated (they often go together), but there are some good words in there. Vocabulary notes:

  • Praeclusio is good for the abstract concept of storage. There are words like receptaculum for a warehouse, but for the phenomenon of storage rather than a single facility for storage, nouns in -io are natural and the best option I could find is indeed what you got.
  • Igneus is the best adjective I found for "fuel-related". Latin uses most naturally an adjective.
  • Renovabilis makes sense and seems to be in use for "renewable".
  • Ad usum delphini is an expression we can follow by analogy. (Thanks for reminding me, Sebastian!)
  • Hydrogenium, cellula, integratio, and usus domesticus look like straightforward choices to me.

Based on these, I'd suggest:

Energy storage: Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, Renewable-Hydrogen integration for home usage
Praeclusio energiae: Hydrogenium et cellulae igneae, integratio hydrogenii renovabilis ad usum domesticum

This is a quick translation that may have room for further improvement, but at least it works.

If you use something you got from this site for your title, remember to cite where you got it from. Academic work has high standards for honesty of originality. I don't think anyone can blame you if you did not manage to translate something to Latin yourself.

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  • I don't think that "ad" works as a result clause here, since there is no verb of motion. Unless there's one implied somewhere. – Nickimite Feb 26 at 22:09
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    @Nickimite I think a dative works better so I switched. But it's not true that ad needs a verb of motion. – Joonas Ilmavirta♦ Feb 26 at 22:23
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    @Nickimite A famous phrase to remember: ad usum Delphini indicates an edition of a text that's suitable for children (literally: for the “Dauphin,” the heir to the French throne. – Sebastian Koppehel Feb 26 at 22:44
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    Thank you very much for such a wonderful demonstration of experience and know-how. You encourage me to learn more Latin during my free time. Put the way you do, it is the most natural language I have read. I hope you wouldn't mind me coming to you even while I am learning this language 🙏 – Pozeidon Feb 27 at 0:27
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    @Pozeidon I'm glad to have been able to help! When you're learning Latin and need help, don't come to me. Come to this site! – Joonas Ilmavirta♦ Feb 27 at 9:25
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That sounds fun, I'll take a stab at it.

Energy Storage -- Conditio Potentiae

  1. I like potentia because its meaning suggests that it is understood as a resource.
  2. Conditio comes from condo, condere. It has many meanings, but the nuances suggest a gathering to one place with an ordered structure. As such, it seems very appropriate for your usage.

Hydrogen and Fuel Cells -- Hydrogenum et Cellula Potentiae

  1. Hydrogenum is a neolatin word which means exactly what you want - hydrogen.
  2. I found photoelectrica cellula glossed in LatinLexicon as photoelectric cells, so with a little prodding, I came up with cellula potentiae meaning "cells of power" aka "power cells."

Renewable-Hydrogen Integration -- (Hydrogenum) quae renovari possit integrata (sunt)

  1. Quod renovari possit is a relative clause of characteristic, here meaning Hydrogen of the sort which is able to be used.
  2. I'm uncertain whether it is right to use integrata. On the one hand, it is cognate with the English you want to use and it shares that English meaning. But on the other, that use of integro is a rare one, used by only one author. This may mean that coniungo for example, could be a better verb in this context.

For home usage -- Ut uti (liceat) (eis) domi

  1. Ut, used as a subjunctive result clause.
  2. Uti is a deponent verb, which carries roughly the same meaning as "to use" in English.
  3. The parenthetical represents possible words which could be inferred as the verb which introduces uti. To me, licet or debet make the most sense as a verb. Eis is just the pronoun "them." They do not need to be included in the final product sentence, it simply makes my intentions clearer to you.
  4. Domi is a locative, with the meaning "at home."

Altogether you get:

Conditio Potentiae: Hydrogenum et Cellula Potentiae, quae renovari possint integrata ut uti (liceat) (eis) domi.

In very literal English: The bringing together of power: Hydrogen and Power Cells which are able to be renewed (have been) brought together in order that (one is able) to use (them) at home.

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  • If you are downvoting my post, I'd love to know why. I legitimately want to know where my Latin translation skills are spotty so I can improve them. – Nickimite Feb 26 at 22:52
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    I can't tell what the downvote was really for, but using subordinate clauses in a title strikes me as weird. It could also have to do with vocabulary. Clarity and similarity to other languages is perhaps more important than style in this context. – Joonas Ilmavirta♦ Feb 26 at 23:14
  • Thanks! I can always count on you Joonas! – Nickimite Feb 27 at 3:07
  • You say that ut...licet is a result clause, but in your English translation you render it as a purpose clause. Either way, the verb has to be subjunctive (liceat), and I don't see that it can reasonably be omitted and left to be inferred, as you suggest it can. (In theory, I don't find the use of a subordinate clause in a title as weird as Joonas.) Plus, domum = 'homeward'; for 'at home' you need the locative (domi). – cnread Feb 27 at 4:15
  • Fair enough -- the domum is just a flub on my part, but the licet not being subjunctive is just a product of me switching that portion back and forth two or three times. I made those edits. – Nickimite Feb 27 at 6:58

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