A present for Mummy

[Somphet]

Hello everyone,

I'm a young french-thai student.
For the story, my mother came in France during the Vietnam War and then, she had to fight to build the good life she has and she offers to me.

This month, we celebrated our both birthdays. As a present, I decided to tattoo a sentence in thai language on my arm.
Please someone can help me to translate ''Remember that people are able to/ Remember that people can'' in thai please, in a literary way ?
I asked it to my mother but she didn't go to school enough to give me a correct sentence, she said that she can't say it kindly...

I would like to mean that we can't underestimate nobody, because everybody is able to expand their boundaries to do great things, AND bad things too...
I see this tattoo like an indelible inducement, then I really don't want to make a mistake about the translation.. I would like a sentence which sounds like a sutra or a prayer..!

I think that a quotation or a proverb could be cool, maybe ?

Thanks for your help

[rgs2001uk]

You are French/Thai, congratulations on your use of English, you speak and write better than some on here who are English.

I assume you can speak and write French just as well.

Try translating what you have written in English into French.

Rememeber that people are able to, able to what?

Remember that people can, can what?

Can your mother speak French, ask her to translate from Thai to French.

I would like to mean that we can't underestimate nobody, because everybody is able to expand their boundaries to do great things, AND bad things too..

No offence, but who wrote the above?

Everybody is able to expand, says who?

Sounds like something from a Chinese fortune cookie.

Best you stick to a sak yant, if you feel the need for a tattoo.

My mrs speaks dammed good English and even she doesnt understand what you want to say.

[Mole]

If the meaning is very important for you, then you should just simply translate it in a language you're comfortable with and understand.

There will always be something which will get lost in translation. That's why your mother wasn't even able to help you translate.

I agree about coming to Thailand and find a yantra tattoo master and get advice from him of a suitable design. I'm sure your mother will also approve of the auspiciousness of a yantra tattoo, than some mindless rhetoric written in Thai.

If you're male, you can also get a yantra tattoo from monks at certain temples, if you're female you won't be eligible because monks aren't allowed to touch women.

Do a search for 'yantra tattoo' or 'สักยันต์'.

[Somphet]

Thank you for your answers

In french : Souvenez-vous que les gens peuvent. Souvenez-vous que les gens sont capables (de vous surprendre, par exemple).

C'est une manière de dire que chaque être humain a ses propres ressources et son potentiel dans la vie, pour parvenir à ses fins.


My mother told me : ทุกคนเรามีความสามารถ
or : "Toukhon mi khoam samat"
But she said these are not nice.. She supports me to find a thai proverb or something else.

[Mole]

What she said is "Everybody have abilities"

Why not just tattoo that phrase in French then? Or just use what your mother suggested.

That's a very long phrase in French, and you think there's a Thai equivalent which is gonna be much shorter??

[rgs2001uk]

Why not just get your mothers name tattooed with her date of birth written underneath, all written in Thai.

eg,

XXXXXXXXXX

๓๐สิงหาคม๒๕๐๓ 30 August 2503 (1960)

or

XXXXXXXXX
๓๐ส.ค.๒๕๐๓ same date but with August shortened to Thai abbreviation.

[Somphet]

I want it in thai because of her past before arriving in France.
I don't want to write her birth date on my arm... The first aim is to write a sentence which will support me and encourage me to continue my effort to become somebody better.
Don't you have an idea ?

Don't you have an equivalent in thai, like a quotation, instead of a literally translation ?
I know that if an English try to find an equivalent sentence in french, there are some different quotations, proverbs and ways to write it.. but it looks very difficult in thai so.. thank you for your help

[AnotherOneAmerican]

If your mother is a respectable woman, she will not appreciate any tattoo on your body.

In Asia tattoos are for monks, gangsters, prostitutes and low class people in general.

[rgs2001uk]

I want it in thai because of her past before arriving in France.

I don't want to write her birth date on my arm... The first aim is to write a sentence which will support me and encourage me to continue my effort to become somebody better.

Don't you have an idea ?

Don't you have an equivalent in thai, like a quotation, instead of a literally translation ?

I know that if an English try to find an equivalent sentence in french, there are some different quotations, proverbs and ways to write it.. but it looks very difficult in thai so.. thank you for your help

The first aim is to write a sentence which will support me and encourage me to continue my effort to become somebody better.

สู้สู้ keep going, dont give up, etc etc.

[Mole]

English and French is closely related language and culturally similar, so it's not difficult to find similar proverbs and sentences with similar meanings.

Thai on the other hand is a totally different language and culture, so most of the time, things which may sound as a good proverb in one, will be totally alienated in the other.

If it's more important for you to get a "Thai" tattoo, you should consult a yantra tattoo master. If the message is more important, then just get it tattooed in French.

Or simply tattoo what your mother told you. The meaning is actually not that bad, very concise, not sophisticatedly written, but I suppose that would represent your mother's humble origins too.

I can tell you one thing that anyone who is able to read it, wont be laughing at it or something like that.

[rgs2001uk]

English and French is closely related language and culturally similar, so it's not difficult to find similar proverbs and sentences with similar meanings.

Thai on the other hand is a totally different language and culture, so most of the time, things which may sound as a good proverb in one, will be totally alienated in the other.

If it's more important for you to get a "Thai" tattoo, you should consult a yantra tattoo master. If the message is more important, then just get it tattooed in French.

Or simply tattoo what your mother told you. The meaning is actually not that bad, very concise, not sophisticatedly written, but I suppose that would represent your mother's origins too.

I can tell you one thing that anyone who is able to read it, wont be laughing at it or something like that.

I can tell you one thing that anyone who is able to read it, wont be laughing at it or something like that.

Sorry Mole have to disagree with you there, I can read and understand.

Why would anyone Thai, farang or leuk kreung want to have, we all have abilities tattooed in Thai on their arm?

Makes me laugh when I see these farang nak muay types with their sak yant and they are sat in some bar knocking back beers.

Its nothing more than a rite of passage for these KSR hippies, a tale to tell round the campfire back home and impress their friends.

Of all the Thais I know, I have never seen one who ever had some profound statement tattooed on him, the usual is mae on the right of the chest and por and the left of the chest.

At the end of the day, its the OPs body, no-one will say anything to him, but many will think what a plonka.

[SlyAnimal]

I asked my wife and she suggested the following Thai idiom:

"ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น"

She didn't know how to best give a natural translation of it herself (and idioms sound weird in direct translations) so looked on Google where she found someone on twitter had given a natural English translation to:

"Where there's a will, there's a way."

Not 100% what you wanted but it was the closest thing she could think of based on my description.

[Mole]

I guess that reflects more of your personal opinion and attitude towards tattoos in general. You said yourself you'd laugh even at yantra tattoos which even for Thais is not a laughing matter and if they saw you laugh at their yantra tattoo, I hope you have insurance which will cover your medical bills.

You are correct however, that the norm for Thai people is that they usually just tattoo a single word instead of phrases.

I'm just telling the dude there's strictly nothing wrong with the phrase that his mother told him.

ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น is a very long sentence and you would have to find somewhere suitable to get it tattooed. Hope you at least have basic understanding of Thai that you can not write it vertically or stack them in some way. It must be written horizontally just like that.

[Somphet]

If your mother is a respectable woman, she will not appreciate any tattoo on your body.

In Asia tattoos are for monks, gangsters, prostitutes and low class people in general.

This is precisely because she's not narrow-minded that she let me get this tattoo.

My mother is a ''respectable woman'' but she accept this tattoo. Maybe am I a monk ? A gangster ? Or a farang khi nok who wants to show off with my friends..? Who knows

We are not in Asia but thanks for your participation...

Thank you too Mole, Sly and rgs, your help is precious !

I will weigh the pros and the cons with my asian family

[rgs2001uk]

I guess that reflects more of your personal opinion and attitude towards tattoos in general. You said yourself you'd laugh even at yantra tattoos which even for Thais is not a laughing matter and if they saw you laugh at their yantra tattoo, I hope you have insurance which will cover your medical bills.

You are correct however, that the norm for Thai people is that they usually just tattoo a single word instead of phrases.

I'm just telling the dude there's strictly nothing wrong with the phrase that his mother told him.

ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น is a very long sentence and you would have to find somewhere suitable to get it tattooed. Hope you at least have basic understanding of Thai that you can not write it vertically or stack them in some way. It must be written horizontally just like that.

Sorry, perhaps I didnt explain myself, or you missunderstood my post.

I laugh (inwardly) at the farang with their sak yant who have no clue as to what it means or the rules to observe.

More than once I have heard a BG ask a farang customer with a sak yant if he is a Buddhist (thats another subject for another day).

I am well aware of what these tattoos mean (yes I dont have any sak yant).

Yes I have plenty of insurance coverage, no medical bills required.

We aint all out of shape, over the hill farang.

My Thai friends love me showing them aikido moves, they are shocked that a thumb can cause so much damage, especially if directed at the eye. windpipe or the back of the wrist, none of such moves are displayed in Muay Thai.

Sorry to digress.

[Mole]

Just how can you just assume that a farang with yantra tattoo won't have a clue what it's all about?

Care to explain exactly what yantra tattoo has to do with Buddhism and being a Buddhist has any relevance?

A bullet from a gun will be faster than any martial arts moves.

[Zlabermacht]

Hello Somphet,

I am an Italian living in Thailand. I like what you want to do for your mum, I think it's a great idea.

I understand the concept you want to express, but I must say that in my opinion it is difficult to "beautifully" translate it in Thai language, or find an expression or proverb with this precise meaning, just because the concept itself is quite far from the Thai culture. Living in their deeply buddhist culture, the Thais believe in Karma and they will not usually celebrate the importance of "going beyond their own limits", "struggle with destiny" and so on, wich are more westerner/christian protestant ideas.

Anyway, a very generic expression which sounds good to me and every Thai would understand (and most, in their own way, agree) is ทุกอย่างทำได้ (touk yang tam daai), meaning "everything can be done", "everything can be possible". Maybe even better for you: ลืมไม่ได้ทุกอย่างทำได้ ("don't forget that everything can be done", leum mai daai touk yang tam daai)

As you will see from this list of Thai sayings and proverbs, http://www.speakrealthai.com/sayings.html , and many others you can find around the net, most of them are about adapting ourselves, being calm and ponderate, follow the stream and not struggle against it, and so on... Wise or fatalist? Just buddhist

I will look around again anyway, or think to something less generic than ทุกอย่างทำได้ , but without making it sound odd, not authentically Thai.

[Somphet]

Thank you for your help Zlabermacht, it's very close to what I was looking for

I'll take a glance to your link !

[Mole]

No, you can not write "ลืมไม่ได้ทุกอย่างทำได้", which is grammatically incorrect.

"ลืมไม่ได้" means more "will not or won't forget"

It must be "อย่าลืมว่าทุกอย่างทำได้" = "do not forget that anything can be done"

For the word "possible" the phrase will have to be ทุกอย่างเป็นไปได้ = "everything is possible"

ทำได้ strictly means "can be done" as in an action, while เป็นไปได้ means "possible" which does not necessary need to be an action, but can include actions. So it depends exactly what you want toe meaning to be, only actions that can happen, or anything can happen.

If anyone decides to tattoo this phrase "ทุกอย่างทำได้", the irony will be the tattoo itself, because obviously anything can be done, even silly tattoos....

[Somphet]

Hello,

I'm back with different choices of sentence !
It took long time for a no speaker Thai as me

I need your help to have a good translation in english (and in french if you can) and I were glad to read your opinions !

- ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น

- ทุกคนเรามีความสามารถ

- ลืมไม่ได้ทุกอย่างทำได้

- อย่าลืมว่าทุกอย่างทำได้

- ทุกอย่างเป็นไปได้

Thank you for your feedbacks !

[Mole]

I see you are trying to translate "don't forget", but google translation has translated it to "can't forget" instead.

ลืมไม่ได้ทุกอย่างทำได้ is just not correct, and it must be อย่าลืมทุกอย่างทำได้. Actually, this whole sentence is just awkward and doesn't work very well in Thai. Don't use it.

The same goes for อย่าลืมว่าทุกอย่างทำได้. It just means literally: "Don't forget, everything can be done." It's just very awkward statement.

In fact, if you google this "อย่าลืมว่าทุกอย่างทำได้" (don't forget to include ") on the entire internets, google will show this thread. Just shows how unique it is....

ทุกอย่างเป็นไปได้ just means "Everything is possible", and this sentence is grammatically correct.

ทุกคนเรามีความสามารถ is also very awkward and google also only show 1 result, strangely not to this thread but to a facebook page.

If you remove เรา and just write ทุกคนมีความสามารถ, this will be correct, and it just means "Everybody has abilities".

ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น this is an actual Thai proverb. Good luck finding space on your body to tattoo that.

Written Thai doesn't really work very well when stacked and you should write it horizontally or split like this.

ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน

ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น

You should definitely not split it word by word and stack them vertically because Thai language isn't supposed to be read like that and one must also take care to split it properly since certain vowel characters must stay together with its consonant.

Split it wrong and certain words can suddenly have an entire different meaning.
A similar analogy would be if you for example decides to write the word "important" and split it vertically to:

im
port
ant

Do you get the idea what I mean?

[rgs2001uk]

Hello,

I'm back with different choices of sentence !

It took long time for a no speaker Thai as me

I need your help to have a good translation in english (and in french if you can) and I were glad to read your opinions !

- ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น

- ทุกคนเรามีความสามารถ

- ลืมไม่ได้ทุกอย่างทำได้

- อย่าลืมว่าทุกอย่างทำได้

- ทุกอย่างเป็นไปได้

Thank you for your feedbacks !

If it makes YOU happy, just go ahead and get it tattooed, just asked my mrs what this means, she couldnt translate to English and said it makes no sense in Thai.

ลืมไม่ได้= Can not forget?

อย่าลืม=Dont forget, correct.