Be Good, Or Be Good At It

[corkman]

Hi All,

Could someone kindly oblige me please and translate this phrase for me:

"be good, or be good at it"

Lest there be any confusion, I mean it in the context of "be good, or be good at being bad"......

I'd appreciate it in both english and thai script please.

Is this something that totally loses its meaning in translation??? I think perhaps it is.....

THanks.

[jdinasia]

As far as I am aware (and there are many people far more aware than I am!) there isn't a similar Thai idiom.

[ozzieovaseas]

Agree with JD on that one. I'd think such a saying would be met with total confusion from the average Thai.

Trying to explain what the actual meaning is would probably be harder than arranging a Thai translation IMO

[corkman]

Agree with JD on that one. I'd think such a saying would be met with total confusion from the average Thai.

Trying to explain what the actual meaning is would probably be harder than arranging a Thai translation IMO

LOL - you're probably right actually...... haha..... waste of time then.

[ozzieovaseas]

Agree with JD on that one. I'd think such a saying would be met with total confusion from the average Thai.

Trying to explain what the actual meaning is would probably be harder than arranging a Thai translation IMO

LOL - you're probably right actually...... haha..... waste of time then.

Actually Corky, What you've said reminds me of the saying " If you can't be good..be good at it"

Maybe someone will have a crack at it, ive got a few ideas but i am only a beginner at this pasa thai stuff

[Murf]

The only thing i can think of is maybe โง่อวดฉลาด but it doesn't quite have the same meaning.

[Parvis]

Let me try in my "mangled Thai" and perhaps the linguistic experts can comment - and - correct

"ถ้าคุณไม่สามารถทำดี - บางที - คุณสามารถจะดีที่ทำไม่ดี"

Not exactly the same meaning - but close to it - I think

Edited August 13, 2011 by Parvis

[bifftastic]

I think that seeing as the original phrase is a play on words in English, ie. the word 'good' as in 'being good' (a good person) and 'being good at something' (proficiency), whilst you might be able to get a literal translation, I doubt it would make much sense in Thai.

I may be wrong, hopefully someone will be along to prove me so

Either way, it might be a very long tattoo!

Maybe another way of looking at it would be to try 'do good or do bad, either way do it well' ?

Just a thought