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Although Reddo is primarily a professional Chinese translation company, we have received an overwhelming number of requests for tattoo translation. We have therefore created this page dedicated to the inky world of Chinese tattoos, and our tattoo translation service which is priced at a very reasonable $10.00.
The Popularity of Chinese symbols
In the last decade or so, more and more people have looked to Chinese symbols as a way of creating a unique and beautiful tattoo. There's no denying the attraction of Chinese characters, and often the meaning behind them can be poetic and enchanting.
But there is a problem for Westerners because unless you read Chinese, you have absolutely NO idea what the script says! And too often the request is for something that simply cannot be translated, like a name or initials.
If you don't get a proper translation, from a source you can trust, you run the risk of inking your skin with total nonsense. If you've already visited our horror stories page, you'll be familiar with this tale of woe!
"A teenage girl who had her lover's nickname tattooed onto her stomach found out months after they split up that it actually said "supermarket".
Last weekend, Miss Raine was standing outside a Chinese takeaway near her home when she decided to find out if it meant anything else. She added: "I was outside a Chinese takeaway. I went in for a laugh to ask what I meant and they said supermarket or shops."
Full story here! |
The Pitfalls of a Chinese Tattoo
Most people who want to get Chinese characters as a tattoo are aiming to translate either a name or a phrase which is meaningful to them. Straight off the bat, it is very difficult to translate a name into Chinese, because there is no alphabet. Generally a name transliteration uses the sounds in the name, tries to find Chinese characters which sound similar to the individual syllables and from there it is an effort to create a phrase which makes sense, using the 'sound-alikes'.
For a phrase translation, it is not enough to use an online dictionary (even ours!) to look up the seperate words and then use the relevant Chinese characters. Chinese is a complex language and often words placed together change each others meaning. As an example, in Chinese the phrase 'ma ma hu hu' when translated word for word means 'horse horse tiger tiger'. Nonsense, unless you are Noah counting in the animals on the ark! But put together, this phrase in Chinese means so-so, or merely adequate.
Beyond this, you may run into difficulties with a tattoo artist who is not familiar with the complicated form of the Chinese characters. Common mistakes include characters being drawn improperly, parts of the characters missing, or even in extreme cases, Chinese characters being written back to front!
The simple truth is that there is no shortcut to a proper Chinese tattoo. Asking your Chinese friends, unless they are native Chinese, or asking the manager at your local Chinese restaurant is not a viable option. You need to get a professional translation, from a company who will pay as much attention to a four word tattoo as they would to a 4000 word business document.
The Reddo Chinese Tattoo Service
When you get a phrase translated into Chinese using our tattoo service, this is what you will receive:
1 - A clear and correct translation of your word or phrase into Chinese characters.
2 - A detailed breakdown of what each character means, and what the phrase as a whole means.
3 - A selection of five different styles of Chinese characters, with the phrase written horizontally and vertically.
4 - Clear outlines of the Chinese characters, to be used as templates for the tattoo artist.
5 - Fast delivery and peace of mind! |
The outline of the characters is essential for a tattoo artist, and ensures that no mistakes are made in the artwork. Some tattoo artists will charge you extra for making this stencil, but with Reddo, you will already have everything you need.
How to Use Our Chinese Tattoo Translation Service
We have made the process as simple as possible for you:
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Enter the word or phrase that you want translated from English to Chinese, along with your email address, name and any comments you have in the form below.
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Once you click the 'Buy Now' button you will be taken to Paypal where you can pay the very reasonable $10 fee online, securely and with confidence.
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We will start work on your translation immediately.
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As soon as we receive confirmation of your payment, we will send the Chinese tattoo translation sheets to you. |
Reddo Chinese Tattoo Submission
Why should you get a professional translation for your tattoo?
- Eliminate the possiblity of a mistake in translation
This shouldn't really require any thought on your part. If you are going to commit to putting something on your skin, which will be permanent (assuming you don't want to pay to have it removed by laser) then the very least you should do is to make sure that it says what you want it to say! While Westerners in general will not know what your Chinese tattoo says, a Chinese person will, as will any Westerner who can read Chinese. Once you know you have nonsense written on your skin, you will not be happy!
- Eliminate the possibility of a mistake in the characters
Just as important as getting the translation right, obtaining an error free copy of the characters you will be committing to should be high on your list. Unless you choose to go to a Chinese tattoo artist, the chances are high that your inker will not be able to recognise, let alone read, Chinese characters which means there is always the possibility of a mistake. With a print-out of the correct Chinese characters, plus the stencils of the tattoo outlines, you can be sure that you are getting exactly what you asked for.
- Option of choosing from 5 different character styles.
A quick look in the average tattoo parlour will show you that you are not given a lot choice regarding the style of the Chinese characters. Style should compliment the content, or meaning, of your Chinese tattoo and it really does make sense to have a choice. You may also be complimenting the Chinese characters with a design of some sort, and in this case you would also want some control over the style of the written words.
- Choice of translation style.
This is frequently overlooked but really comes into play when translating short or poetic phrases from English to Chinese. One example we had recently was 'I am the master of my destiny, I am the captain of my soul'. For this phrase, full of idiomatic metaphor, a literal translation is not necessarily the best - really a combination of literal and figurative is better suited to the task. So 'captain of my soul' is better translated as 'the one who controls my soul', especially in terms of Chinese language.
Why should you choose Reddo?
Simply put, we care about every translation job we undertake, and none moreso than the Chinese tattoo requests. Our service includes a quality translation of your text, with options, where necessary, to allow you to choose between a poetic translation and a literal one. We give you the pin yin for each character, which means you will actually be able to tell people what the Chinese phrase is IN CHINESE! We give you the meaning of each character and of course the meaning of the phrase, as it would be read by a Chinese reader. You get the choice of five styles of character, each one with the outline supplied. In short, we give you everything you need to make the right choice for your Chinese tattoo, and all at an unbeatable price. The unbeatable price is no empty promise, we regularly scour the net to see what competitors are offering, to make sure that we are your best choice for Chinese tattoo translation - for quality, price and service.
Still not sure?
If you are still uncertain about our service, have a look around online, and see what else is being offered. There are some good options out there, though we hope you will agree that ours is the best, and at the best price too!
If you have any questions about the Chinese tattoo translation service, feel free to contact us and ask us anything you like. You can use the form on this page and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
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