Never Use Google Translate to Generate the Text of Your Tattoo



Good advice, right? Because you wouldn't want a typo in something permanent. J. Harker, a graduate student in the classics, often gets requests for English to Latin translation by people who want to get tattoos. He has a blog post describing the various errors that people make when attempting to translate a language that they don't understand, and pictures of the inked results. The text above translates as "He is better as I appear hated on behalf of what I am than as I appear I like on behalf of what not I am."

Link via reddit

I've never understood why people want a tattoo in a language they don't understand... It seems to me like you'd want a deep connection with your tattoos, and for that to happen, you need to understand it.

I feel like this is what happens when something that should be profound is reduced to posturing... Not that tattoos HAVE TO be profound, but these errors really scream poseur.
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Who cares? These people don't. They were stupid enough to get a tattoo in a language they don't speak. I speak several languages, and I make grammatical errors in everyone! These people get to show their friends and sound smart as they translate the profound message.
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It is better to be hated for what I am than loved for what I am not? I think that's what he was going for.
That's a stupid phrase for a tattoo, anyways.

The whole idea of using Latin is because it sounds important and mystical to people.

That's why magicians used pretend Latin phrases, like "abra-cadabra" and "hocus-pocus". It was the awing effect of the fake Latin.

That's why you always see Latin in horror movies.
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