Kanji tattoos. Most of us have seen them here and there, but a large percentage of the people in the United States can't read or understand them. They sure look neat, though!
If you're considering getting a tattoo that involves a translation in a language that you're not completely fluent with, you should really consider several factors. A good majority of languages are extremely different from English in the way that they're grammatically put together, with little changes meaning everything. Additionally, many areas of the world use some of the same words to mean very different things, which can lead to a conflicting translation depending on who's reading it.
If you'd like to get a tattoo in another language, even one that you're moderately familiar with, be sure to take your time, do your research, and ensure that you're getting something that means what you think it means.
Even with a rather bold concept like love, different cultures can express this idea in a variety of ways. The love one has for one's mother is different from the love that they feel for their spouse, which is different from that of one's child, and even a pet or passion for a hobby or interest. These slightly different expressions of love can sometimes be very specifically represented in particular ways in other cultures.
Even if you'd like to get some lettering in your daily language of choice, make sure that it's spelled correctly, and put together in a way that makes grammatical sense! It's easy to read over something too quickly. I encourage people to not only check the drawing, but check the stencil, have someone else check it, then check it one more time to be sure! I saw a paragraph on a guy's back once that had 12 errors I counted in it!
Don't trust online translators, even something in a book, or that you've seen in a movie or online. Sometimes these can be incorrect! With how easy it is to spell things wrong, or completely break a phrase with bad grammar, you can imagine how easy it is to completely screw up something in another language.
I saw this online article by Audrey Nickel on getting a tattoo in the Irish language, but the advice in it for translated tattoos is fairly universal. With St. Patty's day coming up, and if you'd like a quick good read on the topic of tattoos in other languages, check it out!
Best advice I could give is to find someone who is fully fluent in the language that you're looking for (or become fluent yourself!) and have them help you verify your translation, then, find someone else fluent to help verify that! Let us know if you have any questions.
We're staying busy, but are always ready to set up a free consultation for you! If you'd like to work with one of our artists, please take a look at their work on our website or social media, and send them an email to set up a time to chat in person about your ideas. We all operate independently, so it's best to reach out to your artist of choice directly.
There is no cost or obligation for a consultation, but we do require a deposit to lock down actual tattoo time. Have an amazing weekend! - Lunatic Leif