While it's a personal preference if you want to get a tattoo in another language, it's really important that you double and triple-check what you think you're getting if you decide you do.
Tonight's post is an introduction to www.hanzismatter.com, a classic cautionary blog that features photos of poorly-done Chinese and occasionally Japanese characters. A few tips on tattoos from both their site and me...
1. Never assume the character on a tattoo shop's wall is what you think it is or what they have it labeled as.
2. Never just Google or Babelfish the character you want.
3. Did you know there's a whole gibberish, nonsense font for Chinese characters (kanji, also used in Japanese) out there, seen only in Western tattoo shops? See 1.
4. Ask about meaning, where allowed, on Internet language forums if you can't find a native speaker, but be prepared for some mockery from people who don't approve of cross-cultural tattoos.
5. Make sure it's right-side up. ;)
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