This article was originally published on Buzzerilla
People get tattoos for a ton of different reasons. Some want to mark a memorable time, while others enjoy having works of art on their body. But one thing's for sure: thoroughly thinking through your ink idea before getting it done is usually advised. After all, it will be on your body for the rest of your life (unless you want to sit through a few tattoo removal sessions). So, if you're thinking of getting tatted in a language that's not your own, you might want to run it by a native speaker first - we're sure it's what the people on this list would recommend, considering their tats turned out far from what they wanted.
"I Married a Moron"
Sometimes, tattoo mishaps can end up being better than whatever the original tattoo idea was. This is one of those sometimes. This girl said that she was drunk and decided to get a tattoo that would've been dedicated to her boyfriend. Notice we said boyfriend there. However, the tattoo artist ended up writing "I married a moron" on her leg instead. This is probably way more humorous and memorable than whatever she originally had planned.
And if they ever do get married, she now has a tattoo to commemorate that marriage. We just hope her boyfriend found it as funny as we did. This is one of those tattoos that they can look back on and laugh at together.
"Miso Soup"
For whatever reason, there seem to be quite a few tattoos on this list that actually spell out foods. Here's one. The story behind this photo is that there was a Chinese man sitting next to a woman on a plane. He said that he looked down and read the tattoo on her leg, only to realize that it spelled out "miso soup." He also said that he had to try and hold back his laughter.
We aren't sure if he actually told her what the tattoo meant or not, but we'd want to know if we were in that situation, even if it meant we'd have to book a session at a tattoo removal place.
"Big Mistake"
This tattoo mistake isn't altogether wrong. Someone wanted to get the word "courage" written on them in Chinese characters. The tattooist obviously didn't speak that language, though, because instead of the word "courage," he ended up tattooing the words "big mistake." It only takes a slight change in some languages to end up with a completely different phrase. This is probably a tattoo that's destined for laser removal treatment.
If you're getting a tattoo in a foreign language, it might just be a good idea to start off with a temporary tattoo at first, until you have a chance to vet what you're getting.
"Female Flatulence"
Getting your initials tattooed on you is a pretty popular tattoo idea. However, we've never seen someone who isn't Chinese get their initials written in Chinese characters. This person decided to do just that. They said that after they got their tattoo, they were sitting down near some native speakers, who began to laugh when they saw the tattoo. Obviously, this made him really curious, so he decided to consult with a native speaker.
He was told that his tattoo actually read "female flatulence" and didn't spell out his initials, which we imagine was probably a pretty tough thing to hear.
"Mighty Bank Loan"
Languages contain so many different nuances that it's important to consult with a native speaker before deciding on your own translations. For example, this person wanted to get the words "trust in God" written on their leg. Instead, they ended up getting the phrase "mighty bank loan." That's because the English phrase doesn't easily translate to the same thing in Chinese. And the tattoo artist just went with the letters he was handed.
This is also a pretty large tattoo, meaning that getting these letters removed via tattoo laser removal is probably going to be pretty painful if that's the route this guy goes.
"Babylon Is One Of The World's Leading Dictionaries"
This oddly specific yet incoherent tattoo started off as an idea to commemorate a relationship. This girl wanted to get "I love you" written on her back as a way of marking her relationship with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, neither she nor the tattoo artist double-checked the translation, and she ended up with the phrase "Babylon is one of the world's leading dictionaries" written on her back. But at least it looks cool.
It looks like it'd also be pretty painful to have laser removed, considering how big the tattoo is and its placement going right down the spine of the back.
"Bad Looking"
There are actually two of these out there. This person decided to get matching tattoos with their partner. The two wanted to commemorate their relationship and their friendship by getting the word "friendship" tattooed on them, but instead, they ended up with the phrase "bad looking." Now, the tattoo itself actually doesn't look too bad, but we're sure this couple was still pretty aggravated after walking out of the tattoo shop.
They said that they even looked the translation up and everything but that they just happened to be looking at the wrong translation when they picked it out.
Ariana Grande's "small Charcoal Grill" Tattoo
It might come as a surprise to some, but superstar Ariana Grande once had a pretty big tattoo fail of her own. She posted this photo on her Instagram, showing off her new tattoo. The tattoo was supposed to read "Seven Rings" in celebration of a new hit song, but as soon as she posted it, fans started replying and telling her that her tattoo actually said, "Seven Charcoal Grills."
Someone at the tattoo parlor she went to obviously messed up pretty badly, and we doubt she ever visited that shop again, at least not for a tattoo in a foreign language.
"Free of Charge"
Translations can be tricky things, especially when trying to translate into a completely different family of languages. This guy came so close to getting the translation that he was going for, but his simple mistake ended up changing the entire meaning of his tattoo. He walked into the tattoo shop thinking that he was getting the words "free spirit" tattooed on his arm. Instead, he walked out with the phrase "free of charge" covering his shoulder.
While similar, the two phrases are pretty far apart in meaning. In fact, they're very far apart in meaning, and we're sure this tattoo got removed eventually after the owner discovered its true meaning.
"Gigolo"
While getting a mistranslated tattoo in a foreign language is pretty bad, most of the people on this list probably didn't end up going to places like China and finding out what their tattoo actually said. That's not the case here. This person got the word "gigolo" tattooed on them in Chinese characters and did actually end up going to China. While they were there, they noticed they were getting a lot of weird looks from people.
They decided to double-check the characters used in their tattoo and came to the realization that they had gigolo written on the back of their neck. On the bright side, they could've probably found a tattoo removal place in China and got a new one done by native speakers.
He Wanted the Tattoo to Say "brave" but This Simply Says "Mexican"
Getting a tattoo of a national flag or some other symbol of a country is pretty common. However, getting a tattoo of a country's name spelled in a completely unrelated language is less common. That's what this guy did. He wanted to get the word "brave" written in Chinese, but the artist at the tattoo shop ended up drawing the characters wrong. After this guy got home and consulted his girlfriend, he decided to ask a native speaker.
Unfortunately, that native speaker ended up telling him that his tattoo, in fact, read "Mexican." We should also mention that the person who got this tattoo was not, in fact, Mexican. So, there wouldn't have really been any point in keeping it.
"Toilet Demon"
Getting ink in a foreign language can be a tricky thing, especially if that language doesn't use the Latin alphabet. One simple change or mistake can change a tattoo's entire meaning. This girl was hammered one night and decided to get a tattoo with friends. She didn't say what the tattoo she wanted would've read, but it doesn't really matter because the tattoo she ended up getting read "toilet demon."
Some of the tattoo fails on this list could probably be lived with, but we suspect the owner of this tattoo probably eventually scheduled a tattoo laser removal session. This would be a pretty embarrassing one to have if you ever ran into a native speaker.
"Liver, Record, Rash"
Here's another pretty popular tattoo idea gone wrong. This person wanted to get the words "faith," "passion," and "discipline" tattooed on their body. However, they didn't consult with someone who actually spoke the language they wanted the tattoos in and ended up getting "liver," record," and "rash" instead. It's certainly not as bad as some of the tattoo fails we've seen, but it's still pretty nonsensical, especially if you were reading it as a native speaker.
Luckily, it's pretty small and probably wouldn't be too hard to remove via tattoo laser removal if this person wanted to get rid of it and try his luck again.
"Turkey Sandwhich"
While you should never completely rely on a translation app when getting a tattoo in a foreign language, it's still not a bad idea to use one to double-check a potential tattoo before getting it. This person relied solely on their tattoo artist, who obviously didn't know how to write Chinese. Luckily, his girlfriend was able to check his tattoo within a few minutes of him getting home and found out that it actually read "turkey sandwich."
We're not sure how the workers at the tattoo shop came up with these characters, but someone messed up pretty badly. That said, there are worse foods you could get tattooed on your body.
"Fly Butter"
This is an odd one, and it's actually on the tattoo artist and not the person with the tattoo. This girl apparently walked into a tattoo shop and asked to have the word "butterfly" written in Hebrew on her back. Unfortunately, the tattooist took that a bit too literally and looked up the words "butter" and "fly" in Hebrew, which he ended up tattooing on her back, and not in that order.
You see, the Hebrew word for butterfly is actually "parpar," and that's what should've been written on this girl's back in Hebrew. Unfortunately, that's not what she ended up getting.
"Atrocious"
Here's another tattoo idea that ended up being the opposite of what the owner originally wanted. This person asked her tattoo artist to write the word "lovely" in a foreign language. And what's the opposite of lovely? It's "atrocious," of course, which is exactly what this tattoo says. We're not sure how this person felt after learning what their tattoo actually said, but we're sure they began looking up laser removal places not long after.
Hopefully, they were able to get this removed and actually replaced with the original tattoo that they wanted. This one doesn't look to be that large and difficult to remove.
"I Am Decaying"
No matter what you do, never fully trust a translation you see on the internet. Always consult a native speaker first. This girl saw a Tumblr post that claimed to be the phrase "appreciate life." After she got the tattoo, she realized that what the phrase actually said was something akin to "I am decaying" or "I am rotten." Both of those are pretty far from the intended meaning, although they do both relate to life.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a temporary tattoo either, and she ended up either leaving this there or getting it removed at some point down the road. We'd probably go for the latter.
"Sexual Fantasy"
Sometimes, tattoos go very, very wrong. This is one such case. This tattoo was part of a matching set that a group of girls got in order to mark their friendship. As you probably guessed, the tattoo was meant to say "friendship." However, a mistranslation ended up with them getting the phrase "sexual fantasy" tattooed on them. However, they all did eventually get the tattoo removed after a while.
Still, this was probably the furthest thing from what they wanted when they all walked into the tattoo shop to begin with. It also wasn't long after they walked out that they figured out what it actually meant.
"Chicken Rice"
We don't actually know the backstory to this one, but we do know what this tattoo says and where the photo was taken. It was captured in Thailand, and the tattoo reads, "chicken rice." We can only guess that this was a mistranslation of something else, but if it was taken in Thailand, there were probably plenty of native speakers around who vetted the tattoo beforehand and could've warned this guy.
Perhaps the tattoo artist who did this simply didn't care, or maybe this guy wanted the words "chicken rice" written across his arm. We'll probably never know for sure.
"A Waste"
It's usually not a very good idea to put all your faith into a tattoo artist when you decide to get something written in a foreign language. That's not because tattoo artists can't be trusted but because it's not really their job to research and accurately translate phrases for you. This person walked into a tattoo parlor when they were drunk and asked the tattooist to give them something inspirational.
Not only is that very vague, but it's also not on the tattoo artist to come up with a tattoo by themselves. This person ended up getting the words "a waste" tattooed on them.
"Moody"
While it's a pretty popular tattoo idea to get something written in Chinese, it's apparently not a very popular idea to get that idea checked out by a native speaker. This person wanted the word "passionate" written on them in Chinese characters. However, they ended up with the word "moody" instead, which we suppose is still a character trait. That might be one of the reasons the word was misspelled or mistranslated.
Whatever the reason, this tattoo is probably headed for laser removal the first chance this person gets. That is, if they're passionate enough about their tattoos and what they put on their body.
"Criminal"
Sometimes, it's not a misspelling that gets you but an altogether inaccurate translation. We think that's what happened here. This person wanted to get the word "sin" written on them, which isn't a very popular tattoo. That might be one of the reasons why the tattoo artist ended up writing the word "criminal" instead. The two words have somewhat similar meanings, but one would probably get you locked up, and the other wouldn't.
Hopefully, this tattoo was done in a place that's easy to hide, or else this person would probably get plenty of stares if they were ever to visit China.
"Serious Error/Gross Mistake"
There's a reason most places won't let someone get a tattoo when they're underage. Instead of opting for a temporary tattoo like most would, this person found someone willing to tattoo a 14-year-old and got the phrase "serious error" tattooed on their body. Apparently, the tattoo was picked out of a random catalog, but you'd think that the catalog would have a translation listed right under the photo or in a box right beside it.
Sadly, that wasn't the case, and the tattooist ended up just giving this underage kid a tattoo that they probably regretted later in life after they'd grown up. Hopefully, they were eventually able to get the tattoo lasered off.
"Place, Dog"
Apparently, initials can be a tricky thing to get tattooed in a foreign language. There are a lot of those types of tattoos on this list that ended up as tattoo fails, and here's another one. This person wanted the initials of their child tattooed on the back of their neck. However, something went wrong either inside the tattoo shop or before she walked in because she ended up with the words "place" and "dog."
The size of the tattoos makes them an ideal candidate for laser removal, though, and we hope this person ended up getting the initials of their child in the end.
"Taking Advantage Of" and "Taken Advantage Of"
Everyone knows someone who's been in this boat. These two girls are cousins, and after a night of drinking, they said that they decided to go and get matching tattoos together. Well, they ended up going for a tattoo written in Chinese. This is probably where the tattoo artist should've double-checked his translation because he ended up tattooing "taking/taken advantage of" instead of whatever it was the two girls actually wanted.
They added that they ended up finding out what their tattoos actually said the next day, and we bet they probably weren't too happy when they found out, either.
"Get Out Of Here"
We aren't quite sure what happened with the tattoo artist when he was drawing this one. This person wanted a fairly popular tattoo with the word "blessed" written in Chinese. However, his girlfriend made a good point in questioning why there were so many characters in his tattoo when he got home. He looked his tattoo up and found that it actually said "get out of here" instead of the single word he wanted.
This is probably another tattoo destined for tattoo removal, but at least this one appears as though it can be hidden under a piece of clothing until then.
"Fast And Foolish"
You can probably guess the tattoo this guy was going for just by reading the title above. Apparently, he's a fan of the "Fast and Furious" franchise and wanted to get a tattoo to mark his devotion. Unfortunately for him, proper nouns translate differently in the language he wanted to get his tattoo in and he ended up with the words "fast and foolish" tattooed on his upper back.
Before he got inked, he probably should've consulted a native speaker or at least looked up the poster for the movie in whatever language he wanted as a reference.
"Love, Change, 10,000, Things, Overcome"
Getting a tattoo in commemoration of a loved one or of an event is pretty common. This person had planned to get the phrase "love conquers all" to commemorate his relationship with his girlfriend. However, as you might've already suspected, things didn't quite turn out that way. Instead, he ended up getting "love," "change," 10,000," "things," and "overcome" written on his leg. But at least he got one of the words correct.
That's more than some of the other tattoos on this list. It's just a shame nobody at the tattoo parlor noticed that there seemed to be a character disparity between what this person wanted and what he got.
"Unclassified Name"
Usually, tattoos that are mistranslated end up having entirely different meanings than what they were meant to say, but rarely do they somehow have the opposite meaning. This woman was trying to get the word "family" tattooed on the back of her neck but ended up getting an "unclassified name," which, in a weird way, is kind of like the opposite of family. At least, it's sort of the opposite of a family name.
"Family" seems like it'd be a pretty popular tattoo to get in a foreign language, too, so we're not really sure how this was messed up so badly as to end up saying "unclassified name."
"Smell"
Here's another reason to always consult with a native speaker. Sometimes, characters can look similar in other languages, but one small mark or difference can change the entire meaning of a word. This person asked to have the word "creative" inked on them, but instead, a small mistake ended with them getting the word "smell." It's an entirely different word with an entirely different meaning, one we're sure the owner didn't really appreciate.
Luckily, this seems to be a pretty small tattoo and a perfect candidate for tattoo laser removal, like many of the other tattoos on this very long list of fails.
"Small Animal"
Another popular tattoo idea strikes again. This tattoo owner wanted the words "strength" and "courage" tattooed on their arm. They actually got the phrase "small animal" instead. But to be fair, small animals can also have strength and courage. Luckily, this guy had a friend who actually spoke Chinese, and that friend told him that the tattooist actually gave him something entirely different from what he had in mind.
It sounds like this guy probably should've consulted his friend before walking into the tattoo shop, but we guess hindsight is 20/20. At least he didn't walk around thinking this tattoo said something it didn't for too long.
"Unusual"
Sometimes, a tattoo fail ends up not being nearly as bad as it could've been. We think this is one of those cases. This person went in and asked his tattooist to write the word "wise" in Chinese characters. Instead, he got the word "unusual," which really isn't that bad. The word unusual can have a lot of different meanings depending on who you ask, and we're sure one of those meanings could be similar to wise.
Still, this person probably wished that they'd gotten a temporary tattoo at first in order to have someone look at it and just get used to it being on their body.
"Destroy To Become God-Like"
You should always consult with a native speaker when thinking about getting a tattoo in a foreign language, even if you use something like Google Translate. This guy used a translation app to translate the words "strong" and "brave." Unfortunately, he ended up with the phrase "destroy to become god-like." It makes a pretty good premise for a movie, and it even sounds kind of cool, but it's nowhere near what he wanted.
So, when you decide to get inked in a foreign language, just remember to always consult with someone who actually speaks that language, even if you have a translation app.
"Climb"
People get tattoos for all kinds of different reasons, and one of those reasons is to mark struggles in life. This person thought that it'd be a good idea to get the word "warrior" in order to commemorate an especially difficult time in their life. But as you probably already guessed, they ended up getting something completely different instead. Their tattoo actually says "climb" in Chinese, which really isn't that bad.
Sure, it's kind of random, but it could've been oh so much worse. And on the bright side, if they ever decide to take up rock climbing, then they have the perfect tattoo.
"Jeff"
No, this tattoo wasn't meant to commemorate a friend or a partner named Jeff. Instead, it was originally supposed to spell "kung fu." That's because this person had recently taken up the ancient martial arts as a hobby and wanted a way of commemorating his new-found love. Instead, a slight mistranslation led to it spelling out a fairly common name. Hopefully, they were able to correct it down the road.
You wouldn't even have to get the entire thing removed, and it appears as though you could just get the bottom portion lasered off and replaced with the correct characters.
"Heavy"
Some of these are so close, yet so far away from the intended meaning, that they make us wonder if some of these tattoo artists do this on purpose. This woman wanted to get the word "pretty" written in Chinese when she walked into a tattoo parlor. However, she ended up walking out with the word "heavy." She didn't say how long it took her to find out, but we're betting she wasn't very happy when she finally did make the discovery.
This was probably another candidate for removal or for a complete tattoo cover-up, as it looks to be a pretty small tattoo, at least compared to some of the others on this list. It also appears as though it's been there a while.
"Madman"
It's a pretty popular tattoo idea to get something that's associated with religion, which is exactly what this person wanted to do. However, it also seems like a pretty common occurrence to mess up foreign-spelled tattoos, which is also what happened here. This person wanted the words "God's love" tattooed on them and instead ended up with the word "madman." Perhaps the worst part is that it wasn't even the owner who figured the whole thing out.
His wife decided that it was probably a good idea to consult with a native speaker after her husband brought the tattoo home, and she found out its true meaning after doing just that.
"I Can Walk Alone"
A general rule of thumb is that the longer your foreign language tattoo is, the more likely it is to turn out messed up. That's simply because there are more things to mess up the longer your phrase or sentence. This woman wanted to get the phrase "I stand for many yet walk alone" written on her. However, a mistranslation ended with her receiving a tattoo that read, "I can walk alone."
The meaning is somewhat the same, but it also leaves out an important part. In addition, it looks as though it's in a pretty painful spot to have removed with a laser. However, maybe more could be added to the phrase by a tattooist in order to get closer to the original meaning.
"Dry/Drying"
The word "love" is probably one of the most popular tattoo ideas out there. You see it nearly everywhere in all different types of tattoos and in all different contexts. This person wanted the word "love" tattooed in a foreign language. However, a mistranslation ended in them getting "dry" or "drying" tattooed on their body. It's super random but also entirely different from the original word they wanted on them.
Luckily, they had a friend who spoke Chinese at home who told them they'd gotten the wrong tattoo. However, that makes us wonder why the friend didn't just check the tattoo in the first place or go to the tattoo shop.
"Bottle"
This tattoo is sort of similar to what the owner originally intended to get, or so we suppose. Originally, they had wanted the word "peace" tattooed on them, but instead, a misspelling ended with them getting the word "bottle." That's sort of like the phrase, "find peace/happiness in the bottom of a bottle." On second thought, it might not be as similar as we originally thought. Still, at least it doesn't imply anything bad.
It's just a really random tattoo to have on your body. Maybe they can add some characters to it, though, and come up with their own meaningful phrase or sentence.