You probably can think of someone at the top of your head who has a Chinese tattoo, whether it is a friend or a celebrity. Although there is no doubt that Chinese tattoos have become very popular throughout the world, there are many reasons that they are also very controversial. Many do not realize that there are quite a few problems surrounding Chinese tattoos. Here are some of the reasons that people in China and other Asian speaking countries tend to frown upon Chinese tattoos.
Lack of Tattoo History
Chinese tattoos have become incredibly popular in the United States. What is interesting is that there is really not a history of Chinese symbol tattoos. Many people throughout China frown upon the fact that Americans get symbols from their language tattooed on themselves, despite the fact that the Chinese were not known to use their own symbols for tattoos. There also seems to be a very common misconception that this was a very common thing in history, when it really did not play a big role in China’s history of tattooing. Many people even frown upon the fact that Chinese symbol tattoos are often considered to be art. This is the same thing as calling a tattoo written in English, which has not been enhanced to have a unique look, art.
Inaccuracy
The biggest problem with Chinese tattoos is that they consist of symbols. For this reason, it is very easy for Chinese tattoos to have inaccurate meanings. Although you may think that your tattoo says “love,” it is possible that it could really have an entirely different meaning. There have even been cases in which tattoo artists have been caught intentionally changing the meaning of a Chinese tattoo so that it is actually profane. Choosing a tattoo artist who you trust and finding an accurate representation of the Chinese symbol that you want to have tattooed on you are both great ways to prevent this from being a problem, but it is important to keep in mind that nothing will ever entirely ensure the accuracy of a Chinese tattoo.
Difficulty with Translation
Another known problem of Chinese tattoos is that it can be very hard to translate something. If you are looking for a specific phrase, you may not be able to find a Chinese symbol which has its direct meaning. There are companies which offer custom designs for Chinese symbol tattoos but many of them are known to provide very poor services. Unless you are choosing a symbol that is very well known, it is a good idea to double check before making the decision to have it tattooed on you. Ask those who speak the Chinese language if the symbol that you are getting is correct or you could end up with an inaccurate symbol due to difficulty with translation.
Chinese tattoos are very popular and many consider them to even be very exotic. It is important to keep in mind that there are also many problems with them, however. Although Chinese tattoos can be very interesting to have, it is important to make sure that you do a lot of research beforehand. Otherwise, your Chinese symbol tattoo may be representative of the problems that many Chinese people see with this Western trend.