Thai Tattoo

[SJ145]

Can any one please translate "Never let go" into written thai. Dont want to get the wrong thing tattooed as this will be with me forever.

Cheers.

[Bagwan]

Think carefully before before you submit yourself to the needle. Just because half the 'civilised' world and his wife had decided to disfigure themselves is that a valid reason for following suit?

When I ask ladies what they are going to tell their grandchildren when they ask why she sports a no longer attractive body 'decoration' they usually say that they will tell them that they had it done when they were young and stupid.

Up to you.

[Johpa]

Can any one please translate "Never let go" into written thai. Dont want to get the wrong thing tattooed as this will be with me forever.

Cheers.

The phrase "to let go" has numerous meanings in English. You would need to explore this with numerous native Thai speakers to find an appropriate translation, if one exists. There will certainly be a translation, but not necessarily one that translates easily to a tattoo.

[meadish_sweetball]

I agree with Johpa here.

If you just wanted to tattoo the word 'fish' or 'sun' then it would not be so difficult to translate, but 'never let go' is quite vague and you can not expect that any given suggestion will make a Thai person associate to the same things as an English speaker will.

So if you can please explain first what your intention is with the phrase and tattoo, being as specific as possible, then it will be easier to give you relevant suggestions.

[siamesekitty]

Can any one please translate "Never let go" into written thai. Dont want to get the wrong thing tattooed as this will be with me forever.

Cheers.

The phrase "to let go" has numerous meanings in English. You would need to explore this with numerous native Thai speakers to find an appropriate translation, if one exists. There will certainly be a translation, but not necessarily one that translates easily to a tattoo.

Yes, could you please provide more details and the context it would be in?

[donna]

i would assume its like 'never give up'.

[Murf]

I think he means something along these lines...

ไม่มีวันจากไปไหน

ไม่มีวันจะจากคุณ

ไม่มีวันจะไป

ไม่มีวันจะออกไป

[Tod Daniels]

If I had even a single baht for every time I saw a foreigner here with an inane thai script tattoo I'd be a ga-zillion-aire.

I guess the 'rage' is now to have your name tattooed in thai on your arm. I guess it could be good for those times when you've severed your arm and a thai person picks it up. ..

Not to rain on your parade, but please realize; MANY phrases in english are NOT mutually intelligible or translatable in thai. Things like 'concepts' or especially like 'catchy phrases' in english. They lose a LOT of their catchiness once you translate them into thai. Tattoos which have to be explained AT ALL or to the slightest degree are less than ideal candidates for permanent and or prominent placement on your body. I would suggest having it airbrushed or henna dyed on first; see how it plays out.

See what thai people say and go from there, work on the wording, etc. You've lived this long without it so another coupla weeks most likely won't kill you. Talk to thais, a LOT of them, and not uneducated 6th grade drop outs. If I wanted a tattoo in America I wouldn't go to rural Appalachia and ask them what they thought was a good idea for a tattoo. IF you hang around 6th grade drop outs or are from rural Appalachia I apologize profusely. ..

Conversely you could go get one of those expensive thai buddhist tattoos; the ones that look like a candelabra and go at the base of your neck or on your shoulder. I hear they never go out of fashion. They are also widely accepted by the thais, when a cute barely intelligible phrase may not be.

"Good luck", or as the diminutive inhabitants of the glorious "Land 'O Thais" say; ขอให้โชคดี

[britmaveric]

Think carefully before before you submit yourself to the needle. Just because half the 'civilised' world and his wife had decided to disfigure themselves is that a valid reason for following suit?

When I ask ladies what they are going to tell their grandchildren when they ask why she sports a no longer attractive body 'decoration' they usually say that they will tell them that they had it done when they were young and stupid.

Up to you.

Ignore the above except think long/hard about your choice of a tat because you do have it for life.

[siamesekitty]

I think he means something along these lines...

ไม่มีวันจากไปไหน

ไม่มีวันจะจากคุณ

ไม่มีวันจะไป

ไม่มีวันจะออกไป

If you really insist on tatooing this phrase then the two closest I can think of are

ไม่มีวันจากไป = will never be a day [i?] leave

ไม่มีวันจากคุณไป = will never be a day will leave you (but who is "you"?? anyone who comes by and reads the tatoo??)

However, as tod-daniels has pointed out, some things just don't translate very well. The two suggestions above are rather literal (if "never let go" = "never leave"), and don't really make much sense.

Perhaps provide more info on the context so other phrases could be used instead?

[SJ145]

I think he means something along these lines...

ไม่มีวันจากไปไหน

ไม่มีวันจะจากคุณ

ไม่มีวันจะไป

ไม่มีวันจะออกไป

If you really insist on tatooing this phrase then the two closest I can think of are

ไม่มีวันจากไป = will never be a day [i?] leave

ไม่มีวันจากคุณไป = will never be a day will leave you (but who is "you"?? anyone who comes by and reads the tatoo??)

However, as tod-daniels has pointed out, some things just don't translate very well. The two suggestions above are rather literal (if "never let go" = "never leave"), and don't really make much sense.

Perhaps provide more info on the context so other phrases could be used instead?

Hi thanks for your suggestions, what i am trying to say in my tattoo is that i will "never let go" of my partners love. We are having to spend a painful time being separated at the moment and our saying to each other is always "never let go". This is what i am trying to express in the tattoo i am thinking of getting. Dont know if this will help you translate it any better?

Thanks for your help, its much appreciated.

[Virin]

Other members gave you good advices, some English phrases cannot be translated the exact meaning in Thai esp. for tattooing, which must be precise and meaningful.

"รักเธอเสมอ" - rák ter sà-mĕr (always love her)

"เธออยู่ในใจเสมอ" - ter yòo nai jai sà-mĕr (she's always in my mind)

"อยู่กับเธอเสมอไป" - yòo gàp ter sà-mĕr bpai (always with her)

To show your love, the tattoo should be near your heart, or not below your chest level.

[Virin]

Thanks DavidHouston to point out the word "เธอ" that I use "her" in my translation, in English this เธอ is "you" (the beloved woman). Sorry for the confusion, I had the experience in using "you" then someone changed the tattoo as "รักคุณเสมอ", "คุณอยู่ในใจเสมอ", "อยู่กับคุณเสมอไป"

"รักเธอเสมอ" - always love her (you)

"เธออยู่ในใจเสมอ" - she's (you're) always in my mind

"อยู่กับเธอเสมอไป" - always with her (you)

คุณ is a formal word, using เธอ can be expressed more sense of loving (anyway it depends on individual) unless that person usually calls his beloved one as คุณ.

Edited January 11, 2008 by Virin

[NaiGreg]

Can any one please translate "Never let go" into written thai. Dont want to get the wrong thing tattooed as this will be with me forever.

Cheers.

Were not those the last words spoken by Jack in the Titanic movie? Oops.

[mangkorn]

I saw on another thread that siamesekitty defined the idiom ปล่อยผี as "let it go."

Probably not applicable here, but I wonder in what contexts that can be used, and in which ones it can't be? (i.e., can it go with the declarative "will not...," or with the imperative "don't ..."?)

Thanks.

[mangkorn]

Other members gave you good advices, some English phrases cannot be translated the exact meaning in Thai esp. for tattooing, which must be precise and meaningful.

"รักเธอเสมอ" - rák ter sà-mĕr (always love her)

"เธออยู่ในใจเสมอ" - ter yòo nai jai sà-mĕr (she's always in my mind)

"อยู่กับเธอเสมอไป" - yòo gàp ter sà-mĕr bpai (always with her)

To show your love, the tattoo should be near your heart, or not below your chest level.

The OP may (or may not) be referring to a man. If so, would เธอ be appropriate? I ask because it is a male and female second-person pronoun, but is generally only female in the third-person, no?

[Johpa]

Hi thanks for your suggestions, what i am trying to say in my tattoo is that i will "never let go" of my partners love. We are having to spend a painful time being separated at the moment and our saying to each other is always "never let go". This is what i am trying to express in the tattoo i am thinking of getting. Dont know if this will help you translate it any better?

Thanks for your help, its much appreciated.

Of lord, better to tattoo the Buddhist phrase nothing is permanent (anicang) rather than having to explain to someone else in the future a tattoo professing love to another.

[Briggsy]

If the OP doesn't or hadn't consulted anyone and had just translated the phrase with the tattooist's dictionary and the assistance of a passing tour guide, he might have ended up with, "Ya phloi" as in "Don't release your hold."

[siamesekitty]

If the OP doesn't or hadn't consulted anyone and had just translated the phrase with the tattooist's dictionary and the assistance of a passing tour guide, he might have ended up with, "Ya phloi" as in "Don't release your hold."

Yes, a big "don't" sign with a crossed out hand, meaning "ห้ามปล่อย!" popped up in my mind previously as well.

[siamesekitty]

SJ145, I assume your partner is not Thai (otherwise you wouldn't be asking a bunch of foreigners how to translate your desired phrase).

If you really want to keep that special meaning of "never let go" that is important to you and your partner, perhaps the tattoo should be in English.

Some of the other Thai phrases such as ones in the posts above, and some others I've though of, such as รักชั่วนิรันดร์ (Everlasting love) show a strong commitment, but I don't think they quite capture the essence of it, and come out sounding just plain cheesy. And I don't want to be the cause of someone running around with a corny tattoo that will be with them for the rest of their life.

Use the words that have meaning for you and your partner.

[meadish_sweetball]

Excellent point.

[BlackArtemis]

I thought about getting "Gan Hai Aphai" a few years ago and decided that my body doesn't need any ink. I told my wife about this and she said "oi banok mak, pen farang khii nok mai?"

(sorry I can't join you in writing Thai, my spoken is quite decent, but I am jusrt learning to read and write )