Is getting a tattoo in another language a good idea?

Question

I've seen some mixed viewpoints about this. Some say that they don't see the point in having a tattoo written in a language you can't speak. Others think that other languages such as Arabic and Latin look beautiful and it's the message in the translation that is important.

What do you think?

Do any of you have a tattoo in a non-English language?

Are there any languages which you think are particularly beautiful when written down? (Whether used for tattoos or not)

Answer 1

I think tatoos in other languages show imagination, charactor and creativity.

A lot of celebrities have tatoos in other languages..M.Pokora (French) has "Only God can judge Me" and David Beckham has some tatoos in Hebrew.

I think they look really nice and mysterious.

Also, I think Chinese and French would look quite nice..and also Spanish.

If I was to get a tatoo I'd have "Bonita" or "Te Quiero" or "Te Amo"

Another idea, you could get your name put into another language. For example my name (Charlotte) would be Carlota in Spanish.

If your stuck with which to use, you could also ask another question and give us some options. I and many other people on this site will be happy to help you and maybe even find a translation!

Go for it!

Answer 2

If the message in the tattoo is important, as you say, then it must be understandable to viewers, not just you. So it ought to be in an understandable lingo. In UK that's English. There's no sensible reason for a foreign language, especially since you can't so easily alter it after you realise the mistake. Out-of-date languages (Latin ancient Greek etc) are also best well-avoided therefore.
I do not have any tattoos anywhere in any form or language, so who am I to talk!
Written languages of the world include some quite beautiful-looking scripts. Google 'em. Thai, Gujerati, Mandarin, for examples. Start by clicking South Korea below. Happy hunting!

Answer 3

Seeing as a week ago I got a tattoo of a Chinese phrase last week I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I said it was a bad idea.

However, do think it should be of something that has a special meaning to you. Not just the phrase, but the language itself.
I've been living in China for the past year and am heading home in a few weeks. The phrase and the language mean a lot to me.
It goes without saying you should be damn sure you know that whatever is being inscribed on you says what you want it to. I took some Chinese friends with me to check this.

Goes without saying that I think the Chinese script looks good but I agree, Arabic looks good too.

Answer 4

Although it may look good to say have a tattoo in Chinese or Japanese characters, it may just be the case that the tattooist makes a tiny mistake. Okay - so the characters which are supposed to mean "Beautiful Moon" now mean "Bountiful Moan". I'd give it a lot of thought first.

I suppose a rather large tattoo across the back reading "I love Betty madly" is also not a good idea. It's no longer a secret and problem is if you fall out of love with Madly Betty there's not a lot can be done to save the situation, whereas with China or Japan characters at least the number of folk who can read them is somewhat reduced in your neighbourhood so it's less of a problem if it says something like, loving someone madly forever etc..

Answer 5

There are so many languages which are written in beautiful script. My advise would to be tattooed by a person that speaks the of the script you choose. At least the artist will then have a full appreciation of what the finished product should look like and you wont end up with a misspelling or looking like it has been drawn by an amature

Answer 6

I think Japanese tattoos are much too common these days.

I think a beautiful language for tattoos is Arabic - but you need to do your research VERY carefully! There must be plenty of Arabic speakers at the uni ... and you may get slightly different spellings, as Arabic has different letters for different sounds, and the spelling you get will depend on where the translator is fron (eg Egyptians will pronounce G as a J, and so use a slightly different Arabic letter from that a Saudi or Emirati would use).

Don't get it done just as a line of writing - get a Arab artist to design it as a work of art (have you seen the Al Jazeera TV logo? Something like that - looks fabulous, but just says "Al Jazeera" ... which itself just means "the peninsular".

Something really good would be worth waiting for.

Answer 7

A girl in our town had a Chinese tattoo done. It looked really nice, quite small, in a place where you couldn't really see it all the time. Then she went to university at the age of 22 and a Chinese lad she met translated it for her. She is now saving up to have it removed after learning what it really said. So I wouldn't have a foriegn language tattoo done unless a good friend speaks the language and can tell you exactly what it says.

Answer 8

i've seen some beautiful tattoos in both arabic and chinese. The problem I see though is making sure that what you want is what you get and making sure that you have the proper translation in the first place. I heard of a guy who wanted something in Chinese and everytime he passed Chinese people or went out to eat in a Chinese restaurant people were laughing. He finally asked what was funny and was told his tattoo was something rude! I would go to a college or language school and get the proper translation from a qualified teacher.

Answer 9

It depends what your tattoo is going to say. I can see both good and bad points to this question. Its true that it may see a bit pointless if you cant speak it. I am of the opinion that tattoos are artistic and very much a personal thing. If the translation means something to you then do it. Take a look at the native Cornish language,

Answer 10

I got a tattoo in Japanese at the bottom of my back from my husband when we got married - it means a promise (that we will be together for ever). I love Japanese culture and think it's a beautiful written language.
My mums friend used to live in Japan and happens to be a dress maker so made me a beautiful dark blue wedding dress embroidered with golden dragons from silk imported from Japan.
Above that tattoo I have my husbands nickname (from when he was in a band) written in old English style type. I really love both as they're meaningful to me and I think both styles of writing look good.
My husband has an Egyptian hieroglyphic on his arm, so a type of foreign language! It's a stylised version of the all seeing eye that he put his own twist on.
Planning my next tat at the mo...probably not writing though, still making my mind up!

Answer 11

I would have a tattoo done in a different language only if I knew exactly what it meant - writing in non-Roman alphabets, especially Arabic or Sanskrit, looks beautiful but I wouldn't have anything done in a language I couldn't read. There are too many stories about Chinese symbols that mean 'toilets' or 'telephone' for that! If you know the language it also makes it more personal.

Favourite literary tattoo- two lines in Ancient Greek around the wrist - a tag from Iliad about courage. My mate chose the lines he liked from an English translation and I wrote down the Greek for the tattooist.