It is not exactly Ars Magica related, but I thought that it is the most likely place I am familiar for this request.
I would like a latin moto, for a University of.. err... crooks (aka politicians).
I would like it to sounds like Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I was victorious - loose translation).
But instead, I would like something: We Came, We Talked, We Robbed (or We left with the gold/the treasure) - but without any violent connotation.
Does any of you have some knowledge for this highly important project of mine ? Pretty please ?
So, the literal translation would be something like: Venimus, diximus, suffurati sumus.
But that doesn't scan wonderfully, so I'd suggest using more deponent verbs and making it something more like: aggressi, locuti, suffurati (sumus). You could leave off the sumus to keep it 'rhyming', and that even lets other auxiliary verbs go in there (e.g. sunt for "they...") according to the listener's choice.
You're free to take whatever approach you like, and unless it's for an audience who speak Latin, you may well choose any phrase you think euphonous. But annoyingly (for pedants), veni is singular while locuti and suffurati are plural (and should probably use an auxiliary in context).
If you're happy keeping things singular, perhaps veni, dixi, suppilavi might work, though I'm not sure how much I like the direct two verbs with the long (and indirect) last one.
@ezzelino is apparently Italian, and 'dire' is Italian for 'to say'. 'Dire' is also derived from Latin 'dicere' - but 'dicere' is generally 'to speak'. Compare with the well-known definition of an orator by Cato Senior: "vir bonus dicendi peritus" - "a good man knowing how to speak".
'Loqui' is 'to speak', too, but also 'to state'. Compare with the well known "Roma locuta, causa finita" - "Rome has spoken: thus ends the case". So using "locuti" just puts a little too much weight into the talking the crooks do.
'Venuti' as a participle is bad Latin, but might occur in middle Latin/Volgare ... and is modern Italian.
This is subtle, but dicere always implies an object, even if it is missing from the sentence.
The famous sentence attributed to Cato more than "versed in how to talk", means "versed in how to give a speech" or "good at saying [it]". It's crucial that we are talking about an orator, a person who's giving speeches. So that object is clear in the context where the sentence is used (including later by Cicero and Quintilianus). If you want to have generic "talk" without a specific message loqui is more appropriate.
As for venuti, you are right: it's middle ages latin but in 1220 it's ok, and it keeps the right rhythm.
EDIT: Alas, I noticed now it's NOT meant for Ars Magica. Then definitely not on a modern/classical motto. My bad.
The "diximus" I propose above can very well be used transitively with a hidden object, if you care. I don't know how and of what the crooks will usually speak - but they will have a topic and might have a form which doesn't matter in the motto.
Since the discussion is still on going, some background:
it is pseudo-Academy that pretends to educate people in a certain way. In fact, the academy itself is a con, but by a twisted sense of poetic justice, the academy teaches by being (and its teachers) a living example of a perfectly executed con. In fact, the analogy with Ankh-Morpok is quite a good one.
I am not such a big fan on staying too close to Mythic Europe, so I have a very... creative approach on what Mythic Europe is ;-). So if the motto is grammatically incorrect, it is - somehow - perfect for this specific setting.
I wasn't going for macaronic. My middle school Latin teacher when asked by a student what the word for "to sleep with" was in Latin answered "lewdo" (note- it was spoken, not written, so I could be way off on this- I have found "ludo" is translated as 'I play" ...
like I said, I didn't do well in Latin (or any other foreign language, it's my academic Achillies heel), so it was probably a pretty poor attempt.
It's sort of a pun. This is one part of it, the other part is that it's a portmanteau of the words "Leg Godt" meaning "play well" in the danish language (remember, Lego is a danish company).
? Pretty please ?