I am reading the Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium by Seneca, both in the original Latin and in various translations for comparison/understanding (English, French, Italian, German). For the following sentence, I have an issue with most of the translations, except the German:
“(Et si volueris attendere), magna pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, maxima nihil agentibus, tota vita aliud agentibus.”
I include the different translations below and their sources. I note that EN, FR, and IT seem to translate “magna pars” as roughly “largest portion” and “maxima pars” as roughly “a considerable part”, even though it seems to me that it should be the reverse - which is exactly what I find in the German translation. Is German correct, or are the former, or both? Is there something about how “magna” and “maxima” are being used here that allows for the interpretation found in the former?
EN: “… the largest portion of our life passes while we are doing ill, a goodly share while we are doing nothing, and the whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose.” (wikisource)
FR: “… la plus grande part de la vie se passe à mal faire, une grande à ne rien faire, le tout à faire autre chose que ce qu’on devrait” (wikisource)
IT: “… la maggior parte della vita se ne va mentre operiamo malamente, una porzione notevole mentre non facciamo nulla, tutta quanta la vita mentre siamo occupati in cose que non ci riguardano” (Lettere morali a Lucilio, 2013, Mondadori, ebook)
DE: “… ein großer Teil des Lebens entgleitet den Menschen, wenn sie Schlechtes tun, der größte, wenn sie nichts tun, das ganze Leben, wenn sie Nebensächliches tun” (Seneca Epistulae morales ad Lucilium, Teil 1, Reclam)
Gratias!
EDIT
I am including here the preceding sentences for more context and clarity.
[1] Ita fac, mi Lucili: vindica te tibi, et tempus quod adhuc aut auferebatur aut subripiebatur aut excidebat collige et serva. Persuade tibi hoc sic esse ut scribo: quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt. Turpissima tamen est iactura quae per neglegentiam fit. Et si volueris attendere, magna pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, maxima nihil agentibus, tota vita aliud agentibus.