anecdotes from the world of translation -2- ‘At the end of the day, this is an ugly boy.’
Posted on | November 30, 2009 | No Comments
A TEENAGER who paid £90 to have his arm tattoed with Chinese characters got a shock when he learned the message read:
‘At the end of the day, this is an ugly boy.’
Hairdresser Lee Becks thought he had Mandarin for ‘Love, honour and obey’ etched into his skin.
The 18-year-old found out that he had been tricked when he saw the effect it had on a woman serving at a Chinese take-away.
‘At first, she said something about me making people laugh and talked about a crown,’ he said.
‘But then I realised she was really saying clown, not crown. The young woman blushed and was very reluctant to translate for me. Then she admitted what it really said.’
A ‘totally mortified’ Mr Becks went back to the tattoo parlour in Southend, the next day – only to find it had closed.
He added: ‘I suspect the tattooist knew he was closing and just wanted to get his own back for some reason. I always wanted a tattoo and the design looked great. Now I am stuck with it but have to keep it covered up.’
When he dared show off his arm at a nightclub, a group of Chinese girls came up – and burst out laughing. Even his friends have been finding it hard to keep straight faces.
His employer, Gary Doyle, said: ‘He’s a bit sensitive about the tattoos – they look very trendy if you don’t know what they really mean. I don’t think Lee stands much of a chance with any attractive young Chinese lady he may meet.’
Mr Becks plans to spend £600 to have the tattoo removed by laser.
As published in Metro. find source text here
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