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34 Times People That Could Read In Foreign Languages Had To Just Laugh At These Terrible Tattoo Choices
Like Ariana Grande has shown, nobody is safe when it comes to inking yourself with foreign languages. Not even high-profile celebrities. Using Japanese Kanji symbols, the performer intended for the design to read "7 Rings" but it ended up saying "small charcoal grill" or "BBQ".
Turns out, these mistakes are relatively common. Whether it's because the client can't be bothered with actual research or a slip of the tattoo artist's hand, there are pictures of people "wearing" designs in honor of toilet demons and sexual fantasies. And Bored Panda has collected the funniest ones. So scroll down, enjoy the images, and upvote your faves.
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Well That’s Just Unfortunate…
Asian people get T-shirts with English words they have no idea about, but the rest of the world get permanent tattoos of asian words they don't know. Who is smarter?
I personally think that "Toilet demon" accurately sums up this s**t-storm of year.
Whhhhhyyyy do people continue to get tattoos that they be able no idea what it says/in a language they can't read. Especially in this age of Google Translate.
Though if it's Chinese, google translate gives different symbols for "toilet demon" (廁所惡魔)
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Why the hell would you get a certain tattoo when you don't even know the meaning of it?
Because the tattoo artist lied, or also doesn’t know and just wants to make a buck
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I speak a tiny (very very tiny) amount of mandarin (please don’t ask me any questions I am not a native speaker and know nothing) and going off of radicals it looks right, but I have been known to read out ice plant instead of cold cucumber so please please don’t take my word for it.
Apparently in Ancient Rome, they used to believe that public toilets were haunted by demons. That's part of where the word "janitor" comes from.
ORIGIN OF THE WORD JANITOR - mid 16th century: from Latin, from janua ‘door’.
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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."
Why Human Translation Is Valuable
This one has been making the rounds. Apparently, this young lady wanted to surprise her boyfriend with a tattoo that reads “I love you”. Instead, it reads “Babylon is one of the world’s leading dictionary and translation programs”
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.
I Meeeeeean…
Funny-Language-Tattoo-Fail
Much Appreciated
This is a particularly cruel prank. What this actually says is “ana mu’affan”, “I am rotten”.
They Certainly Were “Taken Advantage Of”
Funny-Language-Tattoo-Fail
Her Tattoo Says "Fresh Spring Rolls" In Thai
“A Queef Perhaps”, Indeed
Never Use A Hungry Tattoo Artist…
Chinese Tattoos Gone Wrong
Shout Out To This Mexican Tattoo Artist
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Well that's an image that might finally get the US election out of my mind. Thanks :P
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I'd add wings, using the characters as the body, transform it into a butterfly
Today I Learned That My Friends Chinese Tattoo Literally Means "Turkey Sandwich"
Maybe She’s Into Grilling…
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Heavily Smitten, I Guess?
Starting to think it's the norm for tattoo artists to put what they really think of you when you chose symbols you know nothing of
This Person Will Never Need To Struggle Ordering In A Chinese Restaurant Again
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He made the tattoo. Did he think he'd get lucky & it would be an actual word?
It Like Literally Says This Is Tattoo Hahaha
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Boastful Rice Village (He Thought It Was His Daughter's Name)
Funny-Language-Tattoo-Fail
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Carbs Are Important
So, supposedly this was supposed to be Qi, a primal force of life in eastern philosophy. What it says is “rice”. How did that happen? If we were to guess, it’s because in traditional Chinese, the lower component of the Qi character 氣 is similar (but not identical) to rice 米
Funny-Language-Tattoo-Fail
Ooh, Yolanda Sounds Like A Freak
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Protip: When Getting A Tattoo In Another Language, Make Sure It's Not Upside Down.
For all y’all Aussies or whatever following the US election, I’m so sorry. It’s not my fault.
If trump wins I might just quit the internet. I can't handle another 4 years of content related to him.
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Serves themselves right for not researching the meanings before getting them tattooed.
Or naming their kids. Someone was gonna name their kid two syllables they thought sounded unique and pretty. In the actual language? It's not a word used in polite company.
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If you want to have a tattoo in foreign language, consult at least three native speakers independently. That way, a chance for mean person would be lowered.
Research! If you want to get something forever, it’s important to check. 😶 Also, since this has Chinese characters, here’s one for you to learn if you don’t know: 云 (yún) means cloud. ☁️
Chinese characters are called Characters instead of alphabet for a reason. they are not to be used to "spell", unless you want them to be read phonetically. though this is coming from someone who only learn the Japanese kanji not Chinese, so the rules to "spell" foreign word might be different. Japanese just used another set of writings for non-Japanese words.
If you are interested in getting a tattoo in another language, especially one that does not use a Latin based writing system, please, for the love of linguistics and all that is holy, consult a native speaker of the language. Do not, I repeat, do not rely on Google Translate or Babble Fish to provide an accurate translation. Also, I would highly recommend going to a tattoo artist that is a native speaker or highly knowledgeable about the language you want the tattoo in.
Hinative for example, you could ask native speakers
Load More Replies... I don't understand this. Ordering a professional translation of just a few words made by a human translator whose mother tongue is the target language is really not expensive. Why do people prefer to take the risk to make fools of themselves?
Unless the person being tattooed demonstrates that they can understandably write Chinese, my tattooist will go next door to the Chinese medicine shop and ask them what it means to make sure that stuff like this doesn't happen.
In college, I took a class with a girl who grew up in South Korea near an American military base. She thought Americans were crazy about Coca-Cola because so many of the men had that as a tattoo but in Chinese. She found out later that years earlier, a bunch of them got what they thought said “warrior” or some such inked on them. However, the locals didn’t like how awful the Americans stationed there treated them, so the artist pulled a fast one on them. More guys wanted the tattoo, and it became a thing to get when stationed there. Not sure if it’s true, but I thought it was hilarious!
I wonder how many of these were done while people were drunk, and how common it is for tattoo artists to allow that. That in itself is a sign of a not-so-serious artist, but I guess the people who are drunk won't pick up on that :p
Someone thought a word in my mom's native language sounded great, cool, unique. Was gonna name her daughter that. I told her what it really means. Not repeatable in polite company. Also no good translation into English. See? This is why you gotta check!
To deliberately put a mistranslation is a terrible thing to to. Even though the tattooed are idiots, the tattooers are scum.
It's not terrible at all. If someone is going to be that stupid, they deserve a mucked up tat
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Who would be so idiotic to permanently ink themselves without expertly checking and researching first?! Idiots.
Mates got a tattoo of the rocky chocolate bars logo, he just googled stars and chose it without knowing. Found out when we were stoned making our way through a pack of Rockys, never laughed so hard, tbf he took it well and laughs about it
I'll never understand the obsession with permanently graffitiing your skin.
Well everyone does it because they want to represent their individuality, dontcha know. LOL
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This whole thing reminds me of a story of a missionary in South America. Supposedly he was told people's name in some native American language, but he was really calling them things like "butt-face" and "Eagle droppings" Not sure what the exact translations were, but you get the idea.
I want to get “チキンナゲット “ because then when people ask about I can pretend it’s really meaningful to me and say “this is something that is really personal to me, it means so much...chicken nuggets.....” xD
I want a Trump tattoo that means something other than what I want it to... specifically, a translation of a message on Twitter. I suppose it could be in English... all he says is gibberish anyhow!!
For all y’all Aussies or whatever following the US election, I’m so sorry. It’s not my fault.
If trump wins I might just quit the internet. I can't handle another 4 years of content related to him.
Load More Replies... Serves themselves right for not researching the meanings before getting them tattooed.
Or naming their kids. Someone was gonna name their kid two syllables they thought sounded unique and pretty. In the actual language? It's not a word used in polite company.
Load More Replies... If you want to have a tattoo in foreign language, consult at least three native speakers independently. That way, a chance for mean person would be lowered.
Research! If you want to get something forever, it’s important to check. 😶 Also, since this has Chinese characters, here’s one for you to learn if you don’t know: 云 (yún) means cloud. ☁️
Chinese characters are called Characters instead of alphabet for a reason. they are not to be used to "spell", unless you want them to be read phonetically. though this is coming from someone who only learn the Japanese kanji not Chinese, so the rules to "spell" foreign word might be different. Japanese just used another set of writings for non-Japanese words.
If you are interested in getting a tattoo in another language, especially one that does not use a Latin based writing system, please, for the love of linguistics and all that is holy, consult a native speaker of the language. Do not, I repeat, do not rely on Google Translate or Babble Fish to provide an accurate translation. Also, I would highly recommend going to a tattoo artist that is a native speaker or highly knowledgeable about the language you want the tattoo in.
Hinative for example, you could ask native speakers
Load More Replies... I don't understand this. Ordering a professional translation of just a few words made by a human translator whose mother tongue is the target language is really not expensive. Why do people prefer to take the risk to make fools of themselves?
Unless the person being tattooed demonstrates that they can understandably write Chinese, my tattooist will go next door to the Chinese medicine shop and ask them what it means to make sure that stuff like this doesn't happen.
In college, I took a class with a girl who grew up in South Korea near an American military base. She thought Americans were crazy about Coca-Cola because so many of the men had that as a tattoo but in Chinese. She found out later that years earlier, a bunch of them got what they thought said “warrior” or some such inked on them. However, the locals didn’t like how awful the Americans stationed there treated them, so the artist pulled a fast one on them. More guys wanted the tattoo, and it became a thing to get when stationed there. Not sure if it’s true, but I thought it was hilarious!
I wonder how many of these were done while people were drunk, and how common it is for tattoo artists to allow that. That in itself is a sign of a not-so-serious artist, but I guess the people who are drunk won't pick up on that :p
Someone thought a word in my mom's native language sounded great, cool, unique. Was gonna name her daughter that. I told her what it really means. Not repeatable in polite company. Also no good translation into English. See? This is why you gotta check!
To deliberately put a mistranslation is a terrible thing to to. Even though the tattooed are idiots, the tattooers are scum.
It's not terrible at all. If someone is going to be that stupid, they deserve a mucked up tat
Load More Replies... Who would be so idiotic to permanently ink themselves without expertly checking and researching first?! Idiots.
Mates got a tattoo of the rocky chocolate bars logo, he just googled stars and chose it without knowing. Found out when we were stoned making our way through a pack of Rockys, never laughed so hard, tbf he took it well and laughs about it
I'll never understand the obsession with permanently graffitiing your skin.
Well everyone does it because they want to represent their individuality, dontcha know. LOL
Load More Replies... This whole thing reminds me of a story of a missionary in South America. Supposedly he was told people's name in some native American language, but he was really calling them things like "butt-face" and "Eagle droppings" Not sure what the exact translations were, but you get the idea.
I want to get “チキンナゲット “ because then when people ask about I can pretend it’s really meaningful to me and say “this is something that is really personal to me, it means so much...chicken nuggets.....” xD
I want a Trump tattoo that means something other than what I want it to... specifically, a translation of a message on Twitter. I suppose it could be in English... all he says is gibberish anyhow!!
