So I'm a Science Spider, not a Language Spider. Trying to make a motto for emails and such that means: "Knowledge is power, and with great power, there must also come great responsibility." Google says: "Scientia potentia est et cum potentia magna venit magnus responsabilitate", should work. But I don't know enough Latin syntax to confirm and my searches about it are confusing. Are there any Latin enthusiasts on here?
Latin teacher here!
This is actually pretty close. The Latin doesn't have "there must also come", which is a gerundive of obligation. I would translate this as 'etiam venienda est', etiam being also and venienda est meaning something similar to must come. magnus is the correct word, but wrong gender and case. It should be 'magnam responsabilitatem'.
In the end, your sentence would be "Scientia potentia est, et cum potentiā magnā etiam venienda est magnam responsabilitatem."
Hope this helps!
I'm sorry but "cum potentiā magnā etiam venienda est magnam responsabilitatem" is incorrect. Responsabilitas is not a Latin word and it should be in the nom. not in the acc. The closest word that matches the meaning of responsability is something along the line of prudentia. "Venienda est" doesn't make sense, because venio is an intransitive verb. You should use oportet or opus est, but to calque the expression "must come" in latin isn't very good either.
Responsabilitas is uncommon, but not unheard of. I use this website to check any vocabulary. Also, why would it be nominative? The linking verb only shows up in the first line to link scientia with potentia, and it's not a modifying adjective. Prudentia (prudence or wisdom) might also work here, but I've never seen it translated as responsibility.
Venienda est does translate correctly to 'must come', but 'must come' is, indeed, hard to put in Latin because it's more of an English idiom. I went with the most direct word for come in Latin, but if you wanted more accuracy to what the original would have sounded like even if it sounds kind of strange in the English literal translation, you probably should use a different word. Opus est might work, but that is more "useful for" rather than necessity, hence why I use a gerundive of obligation. I think oportet (in gerundive form, oportenda est) would be the best substitute, and that would translate to something like "it must behoove", therefore "it must behoove great responsibility".
OP can make their choice from there.
Responsabilitas is an uncommon neo-latin word. If the op doesn't care about classical latin, it is fine, but one has to know the difference.
It has to be in the nominative because it is the subject!
You've never seen prudentia translated as responsibility, because its first meaning is warranty, obligation (Smith & Hall), which are translated in latin as praestatio and obligatio.
Responsability in the context of the quote either means prudence and good sense or moral obligation. If you want to preserve the sense of moral obligation, officium may be the best choice.
