Bad Gaelic Tattoo translations

[freep]

In the show "Big Bang Theory" Sheldon has occasion to see Penny's tattoo and asks her,
"Why do you have the Chinese character for "soup" on your hip?"

[Benning Boy]

In the show "Big Bang Theory" Sheldon has occasion to see Penny's tattoo and asks her,
"Why do you have the Chinese character for "soup" on your hip?"

I once knew a beautiful tall blond goddess who decided she wanted a Chinese charter tattooed on her shoulder. The one she chose has a primary meaning of sperm. She thought it meant something entirely different.

Careful what you chose if it's not in you native language. I can deal with Chinese, and know how to use a Chinese dictionary, but even so, I don't think I'd want a tattoo in that language -- and certainly not in Gaelic. I have enough of a time trying to explain the US Army patch tattooed on my right shoulder.

[freep]

I have an '85 FJ60 LandCruiser with tan paint and mostly blacked out chrome.

I've often thought the Afrika Korps had a very cool logo with the palm tree but I don't care for nazis or swastisikas so in keeping with the Japanese blood of the truck I took the swastika out of the middle of the palm tree and inserted Japanese characters for "Noodle Soup." Haven't got it made up yet but it'll go on the doors. Unless I can find some equally cool all-Japanese logo that say something off the wall. Humor being the object of the exercise, of course, an intentional mis-translation if you will.

I have a Welsh tattoo that says Hireath. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiraeth) I made very certain of the meaning before the ink came out. I had him put the letters too close together though and you can't read it now. I'm thinking about covering up the word with thistle leaves then running a thistle blossom up either side of the dragon, then putting the 'Hireath' in an arch over the top.

[Taskr]

This reminded me of a few images we use to bring home the point of being careful with wording on contracts for notices and signage in foreign lands. My favourite being the safety sign posted that read "Flammable in Arabic"

[jthk]

As a fluent Irish speaker, I have seen my share of bad translations and have had many requests -- usually from fellow Americans -- for tattoos in Irish. Worse than a bad tattoo, in my opinion, is when state services (Republic of Ireland) use Google Translate to provide documentation and support to the Irish speaking community instead of using actual Irish speakers.

Ádh mór a chairde,
Seanachán

[The Q]

This a very famous sign in Wales, according to the news at the time, the message in Welsh emailed from the translation department reads "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated."

When I had a gold necklace made for my wife in Saudi , in her name but in Arabic lettering, I very carefully translated via dictionary each letter onto a piece of paper so that when I went to collect it I knew exactly what it should look like, and it Did...

[freep]

This a very famous sign in Wales, according to the news at the time, the message in Welsh emailed from the translation department reads "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated."

When I had a gold necklace made for my wife in Saudi , in her name but in Arabic lettering, I very carefully translated via dictionary each letter onto a piece of paper so that when I went to collect it I knew exactly what it should look like, and it Did...

Swiped that pic and made a meme. Thanks.

[Finistere]

As a fluent Irish speaker, I have seen my share of bad translations and have had many requests -- usually from fellow Americans -- for tattoos in Irish. Worse than a bad tattoo, in my opinion, is when state services (Republic of Ireland) use Google Translate to provide documentation and support to the Irish speaking community instead of using actual Irish speakers.

Ádh mór a chairde,
Seanachán

I quite agree, Google translate is not the best tool for Celtic languages, I'm a Welsh speaker and Welsh mutates if your talking about yourself, your parents or grand parents, this is just one example there are many many more, Google translate can't do this as its a program, only a native speaker can do this. Kit

[OC Richard]

I did a thread a while back- I can't find it now- about how so many American Fire Department Pipe Bands have incorrect Gaelic slogans as part of their logos or what have you.

When I started playing in a Fire Department Pipe Band I did some research and reached out to Gaelic speakers here for help. I didn't want to commit the same errors!

It was quite a learning experience.

Here's the beginning of my thread on this topic, on another forum:

A student, who is a firefighter, had on his binder a fire logo that said onior do na mardh.

I said that it couldn't be spelt that way, as it violates Gaelic spelling conventions and besides there's no such word as "mardh".

Anyhow I got out both Irish and Scots Gaelic dictionaries and it seems that it should be onoir do na mairbh, "onoir" being, like English "honour", a borrowed French word, and "mairbh" the plural for dead.

[The Q]

This reminded me of a few images we use to bring home the point of being careful with wording on contracts for notices and signage in foreign lands. My favourite being the safety sign posted that read "Flammable in Arabic"

There is a Road sign on the Main road to ABQAIQ in Saudi (pronounced by us Europeans / Americans as "Ab cake") , that reads in English BAQAIQ...