Irish tattoos are incredibly popular, and for good reason. The beauty of the Gaelic language and the rich cultural heritage of Ireland make it a compelling choice for body art. However, as anyone in the Irish language community will tell you, there’s a significant problem lurking beneath the surface: Bad Bad Tattoos in Irish are surprisingly common.
This unfortunate Irish Gaelic tattoo has become a viral example of what can go wrong. Keep reading to understand the translation mistakes!
It’s almost a rite of passage for Irish language enthusiasts online: stumbling across yet another example of a spectacularly botched Irish tattoo. These bad bad tattoos, often circulating on social media, elicit a predictable response from those in the know. Think face palms, groans, and a collective cry of “Why?!” There’s a mix of exasperation, amusement, and perhaps a touch of “there but for the grace of good translation go I.”
If you’re not familiar with the nuances of the Irish language, or perhaps you’ve just admired these tattoo fails from afar, you might be wondering, “What’s the big deal? What makes these Irish tattoos so bad?” Let’s delve into the anatomy of a truly bad bad tattoo and understand why accurate translation is crucial, especially when it’s permanently etched onto your skin. Analyzing these mishaps is not just about pointing fingers; it’s a valuable lesson in language learning and the importance of cultural sensitivity in body art.
Decoding the Disaster: What Was It Supposed to Say?
To truly appreciate how bad bad tattoos can be, we need to understand the original intention behind them. In many cases, these tattoo fails stem from attempts to translate meaningful English phrases into Irish Gaelic. The example that’s been making the rounds online is a perfect illustration. The wearer intended to have the powerful lines from William Ernest Henley’s poem “Invictus” tattooed in Irish: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”
“Invictus,” a poem about resilience and inner strength, resonates deeply with many. You can read the full poem on Wikipedia to understand its powerful message.
However, the tattoo in question, instead of conveying this message of self-determination, ended up as a jumble of grammatical errors and nonsensical phrases. The likely culprit? Machine translation tools like Google Translate. If you input “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul” into Google Translate, you get:
Tá mé an maistir mo chinniúint; tá mé an captaen m’anam
This is precisely what ended up on someone’s skin, a prime example of a bad bad tattoo born from reliance on unreliable translation methods. The golden rule for anyone considering a tattoo in a language they don’t speak fluently: never trust machine translation for something permanent!
Let’s dissect this translation word by word to understand exactly where it went wrong and what makes it such a prominent example of bad bad tattoos.
The Verb Vexation: Tá vs. Is
One of the first hurdles for learners of the Irish language is grasping the concept of the two verbs for “to be”: Tá (root verb: bí) and Is (the copula). These are not interchangeable; they have distinct grammatical functions, a point completely missed in our bad bad tattoo example.
Tá is used to describe a state, condition, action, or possession. Think of it as the “descriptive to be.” For instance:
- Tá mé tuirseach: I am tired (state)
- Tá gruaig rua orm: I have red hair (possession/description – literally, “Red hair is on me”)
- Tá mé ag léamh: I am reading (action)
However, Tá is generally not used to define what someone or something is in terms of identity or profession. For that, you need the copula, Is.
Is is the “identifying to be.” It’s used to equate one noun with another, to define or categorize. Examples:
- Is bean mé: I am a woman (identity)
- Is scríbhneoir mé: I am a writer (profession/category)
- Is dearg an carr é: The car is red (identifying the color as red)
Using Tá where Is is required is a fundamental error in Irish grammar, so common that Irish speakers have a specific term for it: a Tá sé fear (TSF) error. Tá sé fear is the incorrect way to say “He is a man”; the correct form is Is fear é. Our bad bad tattoo immediately stumbles by using Tá mé where the copula Is is needed to express “I am the master.”
Pronoun Problems: Placement and Emphasis
Another layer of grammatical complexity, and another source of error in bad bad tattoos, is pronoun placement. In sentences using Tá, the pronoun (like mé, meaning “I/me”) typically follows the verb directly. In fact, in the first person singular, Tá and mé often combine to form Táim.
However, with the copula Is, the pronoun generally comes after the noun it’s identifying. So, to correctly say “I am a master” or “I am a captain” in a general sense, the tattoo should have used:
- Is maistir mé: I am a master
- Is captaen mé: I am a captain
But the intended phrase from “Invictus” is not just about being a master or a captain, but the master and the captain – a specific, emphatic declaration. In definite clauses like these, Irish grammar shifts the pronoun back to immediately after the copula and requires the emphatic form of the pronoun. In the case of “mé,” the emphatic form is Mise. Therefore, for “I am the master” and “I am the captain,” the correct Irish would be:
- Is mise an maistir: I am the master
- Is mise an captaen: I am the captain
Our bad bad tattoo misses this crucial distinction, further contributing to its grammatical incoherence.
Definite Article Debacle: The Double “The” Dilemma
Irish grammar differs significantly from English when it comes to definite articles (“the”) in possessive phrases. English frequently uses a “double definite” structure, like “the master of the fate” or “the captain of the soul.” However, Irish forbids this double definite. Instead, Irish requires removing the first “the,” resulting in a structure more akin to “I am master of the fate.”
Furthermore, Irish doesn’t use a direct equivalent of the English word “of” in these constructions. Instead, it uses the genitive case, which we’ll discuss next. Crucially for our bad bad tattoo analysis, the possessive adjective Mo (“my”) is already definite. Therefore, using An (“the”) before maistir and captaen in conjunction with Mo creates a grammatically incorrect “double definite.”
The tattoo should have omitted the An, resulting in:
- Is mise maistir mo chinniúna
- Is mise captaen m’anama
Case Closed (Incorrectly): The Genitive Case Catastrophe
As mentioned, Irish uses the genitive case to express possession or “of” relationships in phrases like “master of fate” and “captain of soul.” The genitive case changes the form of nouns.
For Cinniúint (fate), the genitive singular form is Cinniúna. When preceded by the possessive adjective Mo (“my”), Irish grammar dictates lenition, a softening of the initial consonant. In this case, the “C” in Cinniúna is lenited by adding an “h,” resulting in Mo chinnúna – “of my fate.”
Similarly, Anam (soul) becomes Anama in the genitive singular. Because Mo elides (drops its vowel) before words starting with a vowel, Mo anam becomes M’anam – “of my soul.”
The bad bad tattoo completely ignores the genitive case, using the nominative forms Cinniúint and Anam instead of the required genitive forms Cinniúna and Anama, further compounding its grammatical errors.
The Final Flourish of Failure: Forgetting the Fada
To add insult to injury, the bad bad tattoo even misspells Cinniúint (fate) by omitting the síneadh fada (often simply called fada), the acute accent mark over the “ú.” This seemingly small mark is crucial in Irish; it indicates a long vowel sound and can completely change the meaning of a word, or render it nonsensical.
While Google Translate surprisingly got the fada right in this case, the tattoo artist (or whoever provided the text) missed it. Cinniúint needs that fada. Without it, the word is misspelled.
Correcting the fada is the easiest fix on this bad bad tattoo, but it’s merely a cosmetic improvement on a fundamentally flawed translation.
Does Accuracy Really Matter with Tattoos?
At this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, so it’s grammatically incorrect. But does it really matter? It’s just a tattoo, and everyone understands what he meant to say, right?”
This sentiment often arises when discussing bad bad tattoos in less common languages like Irish. However, imagine encountering an English tattoo with errors as glaring as those in our Irish example. Consider something like:
“Is me the master my of fete; is me the captain my of soul”
You would likely cringe. You might question the wearer’s judgment and wonder why they didn’t seek a more accurate translation before permanently inking themselves. This is precisely the reaction many Irish speakers and language enthusiasts have to bad bad tattoos in Irish.
Irish is a living language, as vibrant and complex as English. While not as widely spoken globally, it holds immense cultural significance for those connected to Ireland and its heritage. Just as we expect accuracy and respect when using English, Irish speakers deserve the same consideration. A bad bad tattoo isn’t just a grammatical mistake; it can be seen as a sign of disrespect towards the language and culture.
We don’t expect everyone to be fluent in Irish, just as we don’t expect perfect English from non-native speakers. However, when someone chooses to use Irish for something as permanent as a tattoo, it’s reasonable to expect them to seek out accurate translations and consult with fluent speakers or reputable resources.
Avoiding Bad Bad Tattoos: Resources for Accurate Irish Translations
The prevalence of bad bad tattoos in Irish highlights a real need for accessible and reliable translation resources. Many people genuinely want meaningful Irish tattoos but lack the linguistic expertise to ensure accuracy.
This is why resources like “The Irish Gaelic Tattoo Handbook” exist. Such guides are created to help individuals find authentic and grammatically correct Irish translations for their tattoo ideas. By taking the time to research and consult reliable sources, you can avoid becoming another cautionary tale in the world of bad bad tattoos.
So, if you’re considering an Irish tattoo, please learn from the mistakes showcased in examples of bad bad tattoos. Take the extra steps to ensure your ink accurately reflects your intended message and respects the Irish language and culture. Your skin (and the Irish language community) will thank you for it.
*Note: In certain Irish dialects, pronoun placement with “mo” can vary, but in this emphatic declaration, the emphatic form “mise” is indeed the most appropriate.
**The use of “fete” instead of “fate” in the English example mirrors the misspelling of “cinniúint” in the Irish tattoo by omitting the fada, demonstrating the impact of such seemingly small errors.
