Avoiding A Bad Chinese Tattoo
The practice of getting Chinese character tattoos is becoming more and more popular these days. It looks cool and many people feel that it is powerful to have a meaningful word inked on their bodies. For some it can be a reminder to stay strong and for others it is a declaration of love.
However, there are many cases of people walking around with what they think is a meaningful Chinese tattoo but is really gibberish or quite the opposite from what they intend. There are a few things you can do before you get a Chinese tattoo to make sure that you have something that will not make you a laughing stock when someone who can actually read Chinese sees your tattoo.
Chinese Characters
The most popular type of Chinese tattoo is to have Chinese characters that portray a certain quality such as bravery, love, hope or strength. Unfortunately it is not safe to walk into a tattoo parlor and just choose what appears to be a certain word. There have been many cases of incorrectly inked Chinese characters.
Aside from incorrectly inked characters there have been cases of characters arranged in such a way that you have something insulting or nonsensical permanently etched on your body. To avoid this happening to you there should be a lot of research on your part to make sure that your Chinese tattoo doesn't make you look like a fool.
First you might want to look up the meaning of the word that you want to have tattooed on you. Next you might want to talk to a person who can actually read and speaks Chinese to have a look at the character you have chosen. Chinese characters can be written in many styles so make sure the style you pick is suitable for the words you are going to have inked.
Another thing to remember when translating English into a Chinese tattoo is that to a person who speaks Chinese your tattoo may sound very strange. English never translates well when directly translated into Chinese. You might want to choose a Chinese idiom that is close to an English one you were thinking of having tattooed. This would make it more authentic as well as meaningful.
Remember that a tattoo is forever. Although laser surgery can help to fade out a tattoo, some trace of it will still be left on your body. Be very careful when you choose your Chinese tattoo or risk being laughed at by any Chinese speaking person who comes across your tattoo.
