Greece is the cradle of civilization from ancient times, the origin of drama and philosophy, the land where democracy was born.  Greece is the basis of the European culture and of almost all the European languages.

Speaking of which, did you know that word “Europe” is Greek and that the Greeks named the continent?  The word “Europe” is derived from Euros and Opi. Euros means Wide and Opi means the eye. The word Europe translates into “as much as the eye can see”. This probably explains why we kept reading, “Europe without Greece is like Cheeseburger without Cheese” before it entered the European Union.

Greece is also the place where West meets East, and Arabs have always favored Greece as a vacation destination for its Greek music, food, and culture that incorporate aspects of the Arab world as well. You will no doubt sample a Greek kebab whilst you are in Athens.

While trying to learn more about this colorful country, I asked a fellow translator from Greece to describe what Greece is to her in one word. She said, “In only one word: “Θάλασσα” (pronounced “Thalassa”). It’s the Greek word for the sea…And I use it in a literal but also in a metaphorical way.”

“The Greeks, more than any other people in the world, have remained mariners throughout history. Their lives are bound up with the sea; it is a love affair, an inseparable couple, two inseparable elements of life.”

I have to say Ditto for that! Ditto? Now, what does this word mean?

In (Ancient) Greek, the masculine adjective “dittos” (διττός) means “double”, the neuter form of this adjective is the well known “ditto” implying the duplicate usage of certain things. “Ditto” is a slang word related to the Latin “dictum.” Its use implies copying or reiterating an idea. This makes sense as DITTO Translation Agency reiterates your ideas and texts back to you in other languages.

On this etymological knowledge occasion, kindly note that DITTO Translation Agency is currently looking for  Greek translators to work on various translation projects in legal, medical, and marketing fields. Please send your Curriculum Vitae to info@dittotranslation.com

And if you are wondering, a curriculum vitae (singular form, noun), meaning “course of (one’s) life, (vee-tie or vi-tee) is a document that gives much more detail than does a resume about your academic and professional accomplishments.

On a final note, I would like to finish by friendly reminding you that Criteria is the plural form of Criterion, hence Criterias is absolutely incorrect.:)

In May of 47 B.C., after Julius Caesar had left a pregnant Cleopatra, soon to bear their son Caesarion, Caesar defeated Pharnaces of Pontus near the town of Zela. Caesar claimed he routed and captured the enemy in 4 hours. To inform the Senate of his victory, Caesar succinctly wrote, Veni, Vidi, Vici “I came, I saw, I conquered”.

Today it is a common Latin term used often in music, art, literature, and entertainment.

Music

In “Encore“, a rap single recorded by Jay-Z from his 2003 album “The Black Album”, as well as in “Numb/Encore”, co-recorded with Linkin Park, Jay-Z refers to this line by singing:

I came, I saw, I conquered, from record sales, to sold out concerts

The title song for the hit Broadway musical “Mame” (written by Jerry Herman) contains the lyrics: You came, you saw, you conquered, And absolutely nothing is the same

You Came, You Saw, You Conquered is the title of a song by Phil Spector, Irvin Levine, & Toni Wine, recorded by the Ronettes:

Ooh, you came, you saw, you conquered all the love in me

Oh baby, you came, you saw, you turned your lovin’ right on at me.

In Blink 182′s song, Adam’s Song, the second verse begins, “I never conquered, rarely came“.

Shows

In Ocean’s Eleven, Rubin states that a man who tried to rob a casino was killed, saying, ‘He came, he grabbed, they conquered.’

In an episode of Johnny Bravo, the title character says, ‘I came, I saw, I broke a hip.’

In Ghostbusters, Bill Murray parodies the phrase in referring to the capture of Slimer: ‘We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!’

In the Asterix comic Obelix and Co., the Roman know-it-all Preposterus tells the Centurion of Totorum ‘Veni, Vidi and we’ll see if Vici.’

Business

Apple Computer gave attendees of its 2006 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) a t-shirt with the phrase “Veni. Vidi. Codi” – “I came. I saw. I coded.”

Veni, Vidi, Wiki was the tagline of WikiCamp, an unconference on Wikis held at Chennai, India.

Finally, some modern, up-to-date versions (my favorites):

Veni, Vidi, Visa – I Came, I Saw, I went shopping

Veni, Vidi, V8 - I Came, I Saw, I went very quickly

Veni, Vidi, Vamoose – I Came, I Saw, I Left

Veni, Vidi, Fiji – I Came, I Saw, I ran away as far as possible

Veni, Vidi, VCR – I Came, I Saw, I went home and rented the video