23 Times People That Could Read In Foreign Languages Had To Just Laugh At These Terrible Tattoo Choices

Tattoo artist Lauren Harper said although she can't speak for everyone in the industry, judging from what she sees online, these designs seem pretty popular.

"I would have to say that, unfortunately, the client is probably responsible if these tattoos go wrong," Harper told Bored Panda. "They sign a waiver agreeing to the spelling of the tattoo and if the artist doesn't speak the language they're requesting, it's definitely on them to make sure it's correct."

As with any tattoo, Harper suggests people do their research before sitting down to get a foreign language one. "Hopefully, they might know someone who speaks or writes the language they'd like tattooed so they can confirm, if not, there's always the Internet to turn to! Forums, Google translate. Although these avenues definitely come with their own set of risks that clients are hopefully aware of," she said, smiling.

Kevin Blankinship, a professor of Arabic at Brigham Young University, regularly gets requests to verify tattoos or to admire the ones people already have. He doesn't think proper grammar is the most important thing when it comes to inking yourself. "Laughing at tattoo 'fails' has become a favorite pastime of academic linguists and internet trolls," Blankinship said after recalling one mishap. "For them, blunders of spelling and meaning betray a vapid, commodified globalism that forever marks the victims. But for thousands of people—including my yoga teacher—getting a foreign script etched onto the skin is part of a universal search for significance and sentimental attachment. People risk embarrassment because foreign-language tattoos give them a permanent invitation to contemplate cultures and ideas beyond their own."

According to the professor, that effort can still succeed even if the tattoos have errors.