Anyone here fluent in Japanese?

[MikeMTL]

So I want to get a saying tattooed on my arm but I want the saying in Japanese. Does anyone know how to speak Japanese and can translate into kanji characters? The saying is, "My honor is my life. Take honor from me, and my life is done." Can anyone do this for me? Thanks!

-Mike

[Giaguara]

Hi Mike,

Hanzi or kanji (or hiragana or katagana or Korean characters, Vietnamese craracters, or any coharacter other than what you are used to in the langauge you know) abuse is at least as bad as Engrish.

If you want it in kanji (why not hiragana?) you want to find someone who speaks native Japanese, and can spell correctly. And even then, you do want that the tattoo artist can spell what you want. The first of the above two links has a lot of bad examples of (mostly) Western people trying to get all brave tattoos with love, peace, happiness and everything like those and ending getting scrambled letters, horrible typefaces, inexistent or invented kanji, or something completely else, or mirrored letters.. the mistakes are numerous when you don't know what you are writing, or even if the letters are the correct way. Like fish bowl soup, Forever Protector of Old Ladies and so on.

So if you do get inked, not just double but at least triple verify it is spelled correctly and means what you think it means. And then take a picture of it

We do have a few members in Japan... where is harvey?

[MikeMTL]

That is precisely the reason I am on here asking. I'm not just some dude that wants japanese tats. I am looking for someone who can accurately translate the sentences into any form of japanese, be it kanji, hiragana, or katakana. I'd prefer kanji because it uses less characters. This is going to be pretty long as it is.

[Doctor X]

One of the problems is it is not a Japanese idiom. You want a Japanese saying that is similar.

So . . . you should contact your local university that has a Japanese department, explain what you want. Get the kanji.

Then go to some native Japanese speakers and ask what it says--to make sure it is not "Bites the Waxed Tadpole!"

If they agree it says what you were told, you need to find a decent calligrapher.

Then you have something that you can take to an artist you can trust. You can also seek out a traditional Japanese tattoo artist--they are around.

A lot of work? The results will last as long as you will.

--J.D.

[Doctor X]

Sorry . . . could not resist.

--J.D.