I guess I can understand the first two, but the latter scares me. Please say it's not so.
Body Modification, and the disscussion of it :P
Moderator: Moderators
I'm a bit puzzled about this whole improper-use-of-kanji thing. How do you get something permanently affixed to your body without knowing its meaning? I mean, are the tattoos listed at hanzismatter the results of cruel pranks by Asian friends (of non-Asians), tattoo artists who can't understand instructions, or just really stupid people who don't know how to use references to cross-check the meanings of foreign characters?
I guess I can understand the first two, but the latter scares me. Please say it's not so.
I guess I can understand the first two, but the latter scares me. Please say it's not so.
*inserts dead horse beating analogy*
You've got to think... -most- people don't take much effort in learning more than one language; and most that do, don't learn it to fluency. I mean, I'm probably over-generalizing, but some of it's got to be true.
Most tattoo artists buy thier flash from other artists. Which means they don't always know what that character or symbol they're putting on you means. Most flash artists don't know what that character or symbol they're selling the artist is... they just know it's going to sell (yay capiltalsm). Sure, sometimes it's right, but most of the time, it's "close enough".... and that doesn't seem to cut it in a language where if caligraphy isn't correct, they symbol that LOOKS like mountain isn't mountain.
Get what I mean?
That's why I usually try to blow people at least a little bit of shit about thier Chinese or Japanese alphabet characters... because if they show it to a native/fluent speaker of the language, they'l most likely be dissapointed.
(and yes, I meant to use most alot)
You've got to think... -most- people don't take much effort in learning more than one language; and most that do, don't learn it to fluency. I mean, I'm probably over-generalizing, but some of it's got to be true.
Most tattoo artists buy thier flash from other artists. Which means they don't always know what that character or symbol they're putting on you means. Most flash artists don't know what that character or symbol they're selling the artist is... they just know it's going to sell (yay capiltalsm). Sure, sometimes it's right, but most of the time, it's "close enough".... and that doesn't seem to cut it in a language where if caligraphy isn't correct, they symbol that LOOKS like mountain isn't mountain.
Get what I mean?
That's why I usually try to blow people at least a little bit of shit about thier Chinese or Japanese alphabet characters... because if they show it to a native/fluent speaker of the language, they'l most likely be dissapointed.
(and yes, I meant to use most alot)
