TIBETAN TATTOO - TIBETALIA

Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 1

This skewed image makes it easier for you to visualise
the actual inked tattoo art on your skin.

Below are a few more tattoo text-images
you might make a tattoo-stencil from.

Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 2

The Tibetan word poon-tsok, seen in the images directly above and below, is a contraction of poon-soom-tsok-pa, meaning, in a scriptural context, 'possessed of the three: grace, glory, and wealth', and by extension has various meanings, ranging from wonderful to excellence to prosperity. Poon-tsok is also used as a personal name, usually spelt Phuntsok, so this design can be used as a Name Tattoo as well.

Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 6

This sample features what we might call a pseudo-vertical arrangement of Tibetan script: It is in fact written as horizontal text, converted into an image, and then rotated 90 deg. clockwise. Incidentally, this piece of Tibetan text was executed using a font that looks much more "classical" than the more modern-looking fonts above.

Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 7

Here we have what we might call the true vertical arrangement of Tibetan script: In terms of computer-aided design, the Tibetan target text is, again, typed horizontally, but before converting it into an image it needs to be broken down into discrete units - as a rule, whole syllables - that can be stacked vertically. Note that unlike the sample above, here the individual glyphs (representing syllables) remain horizontal, however, the string as a whole is vertical since the units are arranged into a vertical column.

The Tibetan target text shown in this image is a portion of a an adage I translated for one of my clients. The English source text submitted by the client was: "The greatest conqueror is he who overcomes the enemy without a single blow." The entire Tibetan translation was approx. 5 times the length (or height, rather) of this image, and he eventually had it tattooed down the entire length of his spine.

Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 8

I have recently [2009] been experimenting with different advanced types of script-arrangement, and have started offering more adventurous script-forms, such as circular and spiral. These two samples show a phrase in Tibetan script bent into a circle and semi-circle, respectively.

Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 9

Twirling a piece of text into a spiral (with decreasing font-size etc.) is what many would consider the ultimate challenge in script-design. Incidentally, the ability to do this is not some 21st century luxury - Tibetans used to inscribe their charms in such delightful shapes already thousands of years ago, albeit much more painstakingly, syllable-by-syllable. This sample features a more modern "charm": a portion of Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Tibetan Uchen Script, arranged in a spiral.

(View English source text.)

The large version of the above image is quite impressive and most people would probably consider it more suitable as a wall-hanging than a tattoo. View it here: Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Needless to say, this sort of elaborate design is not cheap: Tibetan glyph-stacking is difficult enough on a horizontal line, and the glyphs tend to "fall apart" when twisted into an unusual shape, requiring manual retouching. Hence, images like the three directly above will cost 10~40EUR, depending on factors such as size, and primarily on how much manual correction is required.
 

Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 10

Approximately one-half of the people who approach me for a Tibetan script design primarily wish to have one or more personal names converted into Tibetan script for a name-tattoo. For this reason I now have nearly 200 English, Spanish, German.. names in my archives. Small-size, lower resolution versions of these designs will cost you only a Euro or two, but I do not like to let go of the higher quality images too cheaply because I put considerable effort into these Tibetanised names.

One of the concerns is that the grapheme-clusters in the (non-Indo-European) Tibetan should represent the phonetic structure of the (Indo-European) Western names as faithfully as possible, which is not easy at all; in fact, most transcriptions of Western names that appear on the Web and in print are very poor as most (Tibetan) people do not bother or know how to transcribe them properly. In this respect I try to maintain high standards.

Let me explain what I mean using a concrete example: The name below was transliterated into Tibetan applying more or less the same rules as apply to the transliteration of (Indo-European) Sanskrit into Tibetan. Sanskrit graphemes generally do not represent individual consonants and vowels, such as "r" and "a", but whole syllables, such as "ra". In case a word ends in an "r" sound it is necessary to cancel the inherent "a" using a special symbol called halanta. Thus, to avoid Christopher looking like Kris-toh-feh-rah, halanta is applied to the grapheme representing "ra" so as to cancel the "a" sound. In the image, halanta is the diagonal stroke in the bottom-right corner of the cluster.

UPDATE: I have prepared a preview version of the previously announced large PDF file containing nearly 100 English and other Western names converted into Tibetan script. It can be viewed immediately below in iPaper format.

If you wish to learn more about what factors in the Tibetanisation of names (and are willing to be oppressed by lots of linguistic jargon!) I invite you to dive into the Detailed Notes section further down the page.
(What with the recent [2010] changes (or rather, glitches) in the Google Algorithm, some dubious services offering erroneous name-conversions have made their way into the Top 10 results pages for keywords like "Tibetan Tattoo", so the Notes will also be of use in helping you ascertain why you should opt for TIBETALIA services.)
Otherwise, to enjoy the purely visual aspect of the names in Tibetan, simply flip through the digital pages of the preview eBook here; it features a large collection of names converted into Tibetan according to 1 out of 4 possible methods.

NAMES in TIBETAN SCRIPT
PDF for TATTOO STUDIOS

TIBETANISED WESTERN NAMES; TRANSLITERATION OF ENGLISH NAMES INTO TIBETAN; ENGLISH, GERMAN, SPANISH, FRENCH NAMES CONVERTED INTO UCHEN TIBETAN...

I recommend trying out the different View Modes, such as "Scroll", "Book" etc. Note that the iPaper is extremely useful for quick online previews of documents, but does not fully convey the superb "finish" of the original PDF. Purchasers of this unique collection of Tibetanised Western names will, of course, receive the original PDF without superimposed logos or other protective measures.

The finalised file will contain over 100 English, Spanish, German, French, and other Western names transcribed into Tibetan script, and will soon be available for purchase and direct download via this page. It is particularly recommended for tattoo parlours, however, there will also be an option to purchase a selection of only 5 names for non-business purposes.

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U-ME : TIBETAN 'HEAD-LESS' SCRIPT

Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 11

Owing to popular demand I have finally decided to begin offering Tibetan tattoo designs executed in scripts other than Uchen. Below is a sample featuring Tibetan text executed in one of the various Ume scripts, notably DruTsa (also known as DruCha), realised using a high-quality font that does the inherent beauty of DruTsa justice and is, at a glance, hardly distinguishable from hand-written calligraphy.

To facilitate comparison, the next image features three instances of a string of Tibetan words executed in three different Ume scripts. In addition to DruTsa (a.k.a. DruCha / DruTsha) on Line 1, there is also PeTsug (Line 2), and finally TsugTung on Line 3. It is evident that though the content is exactly the same in all three cases, there are significant differences in the form - particularly in the shape of ornamental flourishes (at the very beginning) and the shape of vowel-markers (above and below the clusters of Tibetan letters).

A few words on why it took me so long to decide to start offering Tibetan tattoo designs executed in scripts other than Uchen:
When I first surveyed the possibilities of creating computer-generated Tibetan designs (a few years back) it seemed to me that it would only be appropriate to do this in the 'headed' Uchen (dBu-Can) script since this is the script that is normally found in books; it is traditionally printed, i.e. produced mechanically rather than manually, and therefore rendering it through electronic means seemed only a minor 'deviation'.
The various Ume (dBu-Med) or 'head-less' scripts, on the other hand, are normally found in hand-written documents; they are traditionally produced manually (hand-calligraphy) and rendering them through mechanic or electronic means seemed a bit incongruous.

However, I have now changed my attitude owing to two special reasons:
1) the popular demand for designs in the various Ume scripts, notably DruTsha: I wouldn't want to disappoint people who can't afford to pay for Ume done as (much more expensive) hand-calligraphy;
2) there have recently been dramatic improvements in the quality of Ume computer fonts; in the case of the font displayed above many people, myself included, feel that it is so refined as to give impression of hand-written calligraphy.
It has thus become possible for me to start creating Ume designs through electronic means without any sense of incongruity, and to great satisfaction of my customers!

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Tibetan Tattoo Design Sample 12

I believe some of the designs I have created recently will be of interest to a wider audience. The main reason why they will be of interest to many is either because
(I) they express a universal principle or because
(II) they suggest a solution to the rapidly-growing calamity that our global situation can be described as, and are thus extremely pertinent to this insane day and age.

The designs are already available for purchase in the customary format (large, high-grade raster images); in the near future they will also be made available as T-shirts, and as extra-large, high-resolution images to print on your own garments. 

Falling into the first category of designs (I) is a set of sayings which express the idea of "do to others what you would like to be done to you", a principle also known as the Golden Rule, which seems to be accepted by all peoples and cultures of the Earth, at least on a rational level.

However, despite our human capacity to cogitate rationally, our day-to-day conduct seems to be mostly directed by our wild, demonic emotions which cause us to act foolishly and continually "shoot ourselves in the foot" in a compulsive manner.

The following selection of images offers a preview of some of the designs in this category:

(I-1)
Tibetan & Japanese & Chinese proverbs that correspond to the English 
"What Goes Around Comes Around",  CIRCULAR layout;

For now, here are preview images of the Tibetan and English versions:

(I-2)
Tibetan & Sanskrit proverbs that translate into English literally as:
"All [instances of] independence is [are] happiness. All [instances of] dependence on others is [are] suffering", horizontal layout, modern typeface;

For now, here is a preview image of the Tibetan version:

The second category of designs (II) features Tibetan-script pieces of text that express profound ideas which no thinking person can easily ignore, and which, hopefully, would propel him or her to find a way out of the nightmare - whether personal, global, or both. 

The following section offers a brief verbal description of some of the designs in category (II); fuller commentary and preview images will be added as soon as I emerge from meditation retreat :-)

(II-1)
Tibetan: The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, encapsulating the ideas and teachings pertaining to the attaining to a state of no-suffering;

(II-2)
Tibetan: "Adapt or Die"  (in the Darwinian sense of: "Evolve or Perish" - a distillation of the great man's idea, which can be found in a more elaborate form in the following pseudo-quote: "It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.");

(II-3)
Tibetan: "To Thine Own Self Be True"  (The quotes from Hamlet are amongst Shakespeare's most famous, including "To Thine Own Self Be True". Other quotations / citations / excerpts from Shakespeare, not least "To Be Or Not To Be" and other timeless principles and kernels of wisdom are also available.);

(II-4)
Tibetanised Sanskrit: "I am Awake."  
(kyamuni Buddha, shortly after his enlightenment, reportedly said this in response to a series of questions as to Who or What he was!) 

(N.B.: Do you know the difference between Tibetanised Sanskrit and Sanskritised Tibetan? Is there any such language as Tibetan Sanskrit? Or Sanskrit Tibetan? 
These are not easy questions, and not only for a lay person, apparently even most of the people masquerading as Tibetan translators out there on the Web are baffled. If you are not sure of the answers to the above, or have received a dubious translation (that was intended to be Tibetanized Sanskrit but seems flawed), or simply wish to know more but can't find much information on the subject, be sure to peruse the following explanation: That Elusive 'Tibetanized Sanskrit'  

(II-5)
Tibetan Spiral Lettering: English poem "Auguries of Innocence" translated into Tibetan
For poetry lovers who also happen to be lovers of quantum physics, here is a fairly intricate SPIRAL TIBETAN TATTOO containing a translation of the first four lines from Auguries of Innocence by William Blake. (The lines of the English original obviously did not become lines in this particular translation, though I do also have a Horizontal design in my archives.)

The very first line of the poem Auguries of Innocence ("To see a world in a grain of sand...") takes us straight into the world of quantum physics, and I think the spiral form is very suitable for this sort of wording, due to the deep spiritual and scientific significance of The Spiral in general, and thanks to some peculiarities of this particular design such as the stark contrast between the huge text size on the outside and the tiny lettering in the centre etc.

For now, here is a small preview image:

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Tibetan Tattoo Skin Ink Art

Tibetan Tattoo: Actual Inked Skin Art Sample 1

This is an example of actual Tibetan ink on a nice girl's fine skin! (Tibetan tattoo art featuring Tibetan Uchan script.) Get something similar if you wish to have your intimate regions perused for ancient wisdom :-)

 

Hey! Thanks! I am so in love with my tattoo :) Thanks to you it was able to happen so I appreciate it a lot! [...] and soon I'll send another picture for you!!!  T.D.

 

(Click to enlarge.)

Tibetan Tattoo: Actual Inked Skin Art Sample 2

Another of my happy customers, James, showing off his muscles and sending off a coded message there! (In this case too it is Tibetan writing in Uchan script.)

(Click to enlarge.)

 

Thanks for the samples Mike, very interesting. Ill have a think. [...] [As for] the original tattoo, it's done so Ive attached a picture.

Cheers, James.

 

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Sanskrit Tattoo Design Sample 1

The script employed for this Sanskrit Tattoo is called Devanagari.

( - - )

Sanskrit Tattoo Design Sample 2

Though this piece was created more than 1 year ago I have only now come round to adding it to the Website. It certainly deserves to be included here, for several reasons. Firstly, it is an abbreviated version of the famous, beautiful, and profound poem commonly known as the 'Salutation to the Dawn'. Secondly, we prepared it in one of the best Devanagari fonts available, thus ensuring that the design reflects all the calligraphic rules that apply to hand-written Sanskrit. (Sources of properly-rendered pieces of Devanagari text in digital format, are, regrettably, very rare. Most Websites, for example, feature a hideous font that seems to reflect the content of Indian kindergarten kids' notebooks, rather than the hand of accomplished poets!)

'Salutation to the Dawn'

'Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow but a vision.
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day. Such is the salutation to the dawn.'

The following image contains the same translation but in a circular layout; the centre has intentionally been 'hollowed-out' to emphasise the suitability of this text for being combined with other (non-textual) designs that customers might like: you might, for example, want to combine it with an image of the rising sun.

Sanskrit Tattoo Design Sample 3

The script most commonly associated with Sanskrit is Devanagari; however, there are numerous other types of script that, down the centuries, have been used for Sanskrit: the image below features a long mantra written in Ranjana.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The above image was not created by Tibetalia, it has been included here merely for educational purposes.

A Kanji Tattoo sample; more precisely, it is a mixture of Hiragana and Kanji.
The style employed here is called Iwata Gyosho.

An all-Kanji Tattoo sample; again the font reflects
the extremely beautiful calligraphy style known as Gyosho.

This is a Tibetalia stock item, a word meaning 'Survivor'.

The features of this design reflect a growing demand for designs with a 'personal touch'; it is an example of a more adventurous form ('play with perspective') and a very special colour ('golden hue gradient'). It is reminiscent of certain very precious Buddhist scriptures written in real gold.

The text in this sample is a complete sentence meaning "Wild Hearts Can't Be Tamed", executed in Japanese scripts known as Hiragana and Kanji.

Getting a gold(en) tattoo ink must be a very special experience, I fancy!

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In addition to Tibetan, I can be of assistance with Sanskrit, Hindi, Japanese, Ancient Greek, and certain other languages as well - notably Thai, thanks to arecently established Thai connection!

Also, please note that the present page is only sporadically updated; for my most recent designs please visit my blog:
http://tibetan-translation.blogspot.com/

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Thank you for taking a few minutes off your busy schedule to view my humble Tibetan Script Tattoo Designs page.

 

If you are a returning visitor you may wish to skip down to the updated paragraphs in green. (Having just returned from , I am now refreshed and have a heart for any fate - even the prospect of using the primitive, health-impairing Earth technology (i.e. this blooming computer) for many hours a day, in order to update the site a bit!

 

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Life is hard indeed, in this turbulent age more and more people are experiencing spiritual confusion and even physical strife.

 

I have observed that to many, marking their body with a visually pleasing image of a meaningful phrase or name is a way to emotionally deal with their problems. Tattoos probably do work quite well, on some deep, subconscious level.

 

Regardless of whether you are here because you are looking for a visual expression of your deepest thoughts or whether you have a more happy-go-lucky attitude and simply want to play with whatever comes your way in life, if you are, at this stage, considering getting a Tibetan Tattoo, or a tattoo in some other language, please continue reading to learn how to proceed.

 

If your source text (English, Français, Nederlands, Deutsch, Español etc.) is under 10 words, it will cost 8 EUR to translate into Tibetan and generate a large JPG image of the actual Uchen Tibetan script. In the case of proper names, it costs 8 EUR to phonetically transliterate up to 5 names.

 

Please note that designs costing a mere 1-2 EUR are no longer available for direct purchase, however, any and all existent Tibetalia designs that you may have discussed with me previously or found elsewhere on the Web (e.g. popular names like John or words such as Survivor) can still be obtained at reduced prices.

 

{Persons with a vulnerable social status, such as homeless or unemployed people, orphans, and refugees continue to be entitled to my services free of charge, however, in order to obtain a free Tibetan translation they are required to send me (scanned) written proof.}

 

Though I regret no longer being able to accomodate with new designs potential customers who truly cannot afford to pay much, I am, on the other hand, happy to announce a new scheme whereby I will be offering greater value for money to customers willing to pay at least 8 EUR.

 

All customers placing an order for a new Tibetan Tattoo Design will, subject to certain conditions, be able to obtain one complimentary Tibetan, Japanese, or Sanskrit Tattoo Design (from the existing Tibetalia Designs archives) completely free of charge. The details will be explained to you by Email once you have submitted the Order Form below.

 

The last (but not least) item amongst the novelties will be of interest to Tattoo Parlours / Studios: I am planning to start selling a large PDF file containing about 100 English, German, Spanish, and French given names (John, Manfred, Manuel, Gregoire etc.) as a single item. The file will cost about 50EUR, meaning that by purchasing this PDF you will be paying about 20X less per name than when buying names individually.

 

I am perfectly aware that most Tattoo Studio owners do not place due importance on the correctness of exotic-language tattoo designs. If you are one of them but willing to reconsider your attitude so as to avoid embarrassing yourself and enfuriating your customers, please view Tattoo Sample 10 above and Note 9 below.

 

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If you submit a name for 'special treatment', or have further requirements such as unconventional tattoo design, extra fine Tibetan fonts, specification of the meaning of the individual Tibetan syllables employed etc. please peruse the Tibetan Translation Notes and Terms further down the page.

 

However, if you are in a hurry or simply require a straightforward translation of a few words and a JPG/PNG image of Tibetan glyphs for your tattoo, it is completely safe to ignore the small print and you can use the Contact Form immediately below to state your desires.

 

Better still, use the Payment Form further down to initiate the process by sending the appropriate fee straight away and be given priority. Simply define your design using the drop-down menus; then click Buy Now and you will be able to pay even with your good old debit card!

 

Well, while I am at it, I might as well add a whole new page to this site. For a great laugh be sure to visit the Aku Tonpa page!

 

 

Inter-Galactic Greetings,

 

Tibetan Tattoo Quick Order & Payment Form ~  PayPal  ~  Credit Card  ~  Debit Card  ~

SPECIFY THE LAYOUT (ARRANGEMENT) FOR TIBETAN TEXT:

SPECIFY THE SCRIPT, viz. TIBETAN TEXT STYLE (TYPEFACE):

ENTER UP TO 10 WORDS (OR 5 NAMES) TO BE CONVERTED INTO TIBETAN:

If you wish to submit MULTIPLE phrases, or MORE than 10 words (5 names), please use the Contact Form above.

COMMENTS (Optional):

Tibetan Tattoo Translation - Detailed Notes

If you are thinking to submit a name, or have further requirements such as special tattoo design, extra fine Tibetan fonts, specification of the meaning of the individual Tibetan syllables employed etc. please take a few minutes to peruse the Notes and Terms below.

NOTE 1: If you submit a personal name, please bear in mind that it is common practice to transliterate, not translate, all Western names into Tibetan syllables of a corresponding pronunciation that bear, wherever possible, a positive, or amusing, meaning.

 

NOTE 2: The above statement, however, is a generalisation, and in a way a reflection of most linguists' limitations. Yes, it is true that names are usually transLITERAted, but there are different ways of doing it; and yes, names are rarely translated, but it CAN be done!

Many customers approach me with their names because they seem to have previously experienced some problems finding the right method / person to do the conversion of the names into Tibetan; I have therefore included an extended explanation of the relevant issues.

There are 2 main reasons  why most customers are confused and why most translators are unable to properly convert names into Tibetan:

1) most people (EVEN IF they are Tibetans and EVEN IF they are professional translators) have not received formal linguistic education that would enable them to tackle the very hard task of converting Western names into Tibetan properly;
2) there are at least FOUR different methods of conversion, and again, most people who think they are able to convert Western names into Tibetan are not even AWARE of this fact;

 

NOTE 3: The four different methods can be divided into the following categories and sub-categories:

1) PHONETIC (sound-based) CONVERSION

1A) Phonetic conversion whereby the phonemes of a Western name are matched to the nearest equivalents existing in the Tibetan language; the written Tibetan syllables that correspond to those nearest phonemic equivalents are then employed to write the Tibetanised version of the name;

1B) Phonetic conversion whereby (almost) no attempt is made to conform to the phonological features of the Tibetan, i.e. there is no need to match the phonemes of a Western name to the phonemes existing in the Tibetan language because instead of the (more limited) set of graphemes that are used to write solely Tibetan lexemes, an extended set of graphemes that has traditionally been used to represent the phonemes of foreign languages such as Sanskrit and Chinese (and more recently, Western languages), is employed.
(Again, most Tibetans have no idea how to use this extended set of graphemes because they generally do not receive much schooling and because it is not needed to record their own language.)

As an example of this type of conversion (1B) please examine the image below, featuring the most precise possible, purely phonetic transliteration (i.e. sound-based conversion) into Tibetan of the name Christine:

2) SEMANTIC (meaning-based) CONVERSION

2A) Semantic conversion whereby the phonemes of a Western name are matched to the equivalents existing in the Tibetan language, though NOT NECESSARILY THE NEAREST equivalents; the written Tibetan syllables that correspond to those phonemic equivalents are then employed to write the Tibetanised version of the name, while the focus of attention is not so much proximity in pronunciation but the MEANING of the various syllables; the emphasis is on whether the syllables individually (and if possible collectively) have an amusing or auspicious meaning.
(This method could be said to be half-way between a translation and a transliteration.)

2B) Semantic conversion whereby any correspondence between the pronunciation (i.e. the phonemes) of the source text (Western) and the target text (Tibetan) is completely ignored; instead, the actual etymological MEANING of the source is researched and once established, it is translated into Tibetan, either literally or idiomatically, whichever is more appropriate; in other words, although lay people usually only speak of translation of names, linguists know (as can be seen from the above explanation) that category 2B is the ONLY TRUE TRANSLATION method.

As an example of this type of conversion (2B) I might mention names such as Christina or Christopher, whose etymology is "Bearer of Christ" and can be translated into (romanized) Tibetan as: Ma Shi Ka 'Khyer mKhan. 

Please examine the image below, featuring a purely semantic, i.e. meaning-based conversion, or in other words, a true translation into Tibetan of the name Christine, in the actual Tibetan (Uchen) script:

NOTE 4: The basic fee of 8 EUR entitles you to any one conversion method as described above.
However, if you pay 16EUR, you will receive two different conversions into Tibetan script, and if you pay 20EUR, you will receive four different designs, created in accordance with all four available conversion methods.
Regardless of whether you submit names or regular words and phrases, an additional fee will be charged for extra high-resolution images, additional file types (e.g. PDF), unconventional text-arrangement (vertical, circular etc.) and for "special effects", e.g. framing, skewing, shading, Xach etc.

 

NOTE 5: Though I primarily do computer-generated U-chen Tibetan, I have also started offering Tibetan U-me scripts such as drucha, and, in some cases, hand-written Uchen (calligraphy).

 

NOTE 6: For the standard fee of 8 EUR the Tibetan text / design you order will be conveyed to you in an image format such as JPG or PSD. Unfortunately, viewing and printing the minutest details of the script while retaining the high-definition quality is simply not possible with images. One major advantage PDF's have over images is that they print much better. Moreover, even when text is magnified the edges of the graphemes do not become jagged at all.

Thus, owing to this particular PDF advantage which enables tattoo artists to work off enlarged printouts, I now offer the option to generate PDFs for more demanding customers.
Please remember: PDF files will never be sent to you as stand-alone items! Images remain the basic format and PDFs can be had for a small additional fee to complement the images. Please peruse the JPG vs. PDF file to understand why this is necessary.

 

NOTE 7: You may be able to obtain a Tibetan Tattoo Design for as little as 2 EUR if an image of the sort you desire already exists in my archives. For example, popular names like John or frequently requested words such as Survivor can usually be had for just 2 EUR.

Furthermore, I have recently started listing my Tibetan Script Tattoo Designs on eBay. Though for the moment the selection is very limited I plan to gradually add more items. My eBay items will typically cost much less than custom-made designs ordered via this Website, possibly as little as 0.50EUR. There will also be a sprinkle of Japanese (Kanji) and Sanskrit (Devanagari) Script Tattoo Designs.

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View Japanese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan Script Designs on eBay

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Incidentally, my presence on eBay goes back quite a few years, I used to sell Himalayan herbal remedies, Tibetan carpets etc. back in the days when people still had some real money to spend. You can therefore use my eBay Feedback  (100% positive) to confirm that I was not born yesterday, and that you are dealing with a serious seller.

 

NOTE 8: I shall also be increasing the selection of Tibetan styles / fonts, and types of arrangement, e.g. not only horizontal and vertical, but also more adventurous forms such as circular and spiral.
I have to stress, however, that circular and even spiral etc. arrangements of Tibetan glyphs are not some modern-day whim or fashion - Tibetans used to inscribe their mantras in such diverting shapes already a 1000, if not more, years ago, as can be seen in the following picture:
Ancient-Syllable-Wheel-Tibetan-Mantras-Spiral-Samples.

 

NOTE 9: Through researching the keywords for this Website I have come to realise that it is not easy for people to find correct information on the Web, i.e. when it comes to translation of an "exotic" language such as Tibetan things certainly are not as simple as just "Googling" something (and this is largely why I started writing these Notes back in 2008).

It is now late 2010 and I am afraid some of the things that I have come across through my work during this period were so awful that they prompt me to use stronger words:
I am bloody annoyed! (Whew, finally got that off my chest!)

The fact that there are some "translators" out there who cannot translate is disconcerting enough; the fact that they continually produce translations / designs that are erroneous is unacceptable; but most of all, the fact that these unsavoury characters take people's money in exchange for their worthless concoctions is simply appalling.

As a professional translator I not only translate my own material but sometimes also verify translations prepared by others. I do this whenever my clients submit a piece of text or a design to be checked, and frankly, I am now so disgusted with all the wrong translations that come my way that I feel morally obligated to turn this mild, cautionary note into a damn' vicious rant.
And since a picture is worth a 1000 words I am going to rant by using not only strong language but also some very "vociferous" images, too! The sheer insolence of these cheeky "translators" who blaspheme the sacred Tibetan language and cheat their customers makes my blood boil.

But let me explain what I mean in proper order; what follows bellow evolves naturally from the milder themes I addressed back in 2008 to the more recent issues:

Some exotic-script enthusiasts try to create their own Tibetan script designs and in the process may come across certain tools such as an automatic Wylie to Tibetan converter. While this Wylie-Tibetan to Tibetan-Uchen Script Converter itself seems to function correctly, there are not many people who will be able to give you the correct Wylie transcription to input.
There are at least 2 other Websites out there offering Automated Conversion (e.g. to convert an English name into Tibetan Script) which malfunction grossly. One of them generates large, hi-def images using quality Tibetan fonts in the process, and very rapidly, too, so you can easily be deceived into thinking that this is a first-rate service.
However, while the form may be polished, the content leaves much to be desired. Roughly 50% of the designs that this machine generates are anywhere between slightly and severely misspelled - so beware.
Generally, anyone not literate in Tibetan trying to ascertain the correct shape of Tibetan glyphs corresponding to their (English) words with the intention of having the glyphs tattooed would be well-advised to think twice, unless you are willing to risk ending up with something like "chattering" or "mee-keh" permanently tattooed on your skin when what you had in mind was in fact "Catherine" or "Mike"!

Unfortunately, even some sites that offer human translation often come up with very dubious results. (I have seen some fairly odd tattoos, which is why I am writing this note!)

A few sites offer a free collection of images containing Tibetan words and phrases, and the majority of those items are actually correct. If you are unlucky, however, you will pick one of the misspelled or otherwise faulty (or shall we say *fawlty*) pieces and end up having, for example, a non-word such as "what-what" (see below) engraved on your body instead of the intended "(Year of the) Mouse".
The most surreal aspect of the matter is the fact that these "Fawlty Tattoos" have been posted on their respective sites literally for years now, and no-one bothers to correct them.

More commonly, however, they will charge you a fee for the job, but in some cases your payment does not guarantee correctness: you are still at risk of receiving something completely grotesque.
The purported "transliteration" of the 2 names in the image below looks (to an initiated eye) more like a random product of a child's play: elements being thrown together without any understanding of how they are supposed to be combined.. Wrong vowel-markers, wrong consonants, special symbols where they should not be (and could not be even in the wildest linguistic theory), yet missing where they ought to be.. a perfect disaster.

A further problem is that many Tattoo Parlours assume a very flippant attitude in relation to the correctitude of foreign-language-based tattoo designs. Sadly, this is not the case only with poorer tattoo studios (hidden in a basement in a back-alley somewhere), but even with the rich artists in some very posh places (such as the French Riviera etc.). They prefer scavenging and scooping up whatever poor-quality or outright erroneous material they can Google to paying a very modest amount for designs that are prepared by qualified linguists and hence assuredly correct.
This sort of stinginess often results in (high-profile) tragi-comic cases such as a certain Beckham having a permanent excrescence of a tattoo saying "VHictoria" on his body etc.

If even the rich are careless enough to have oddities etched on them, it is not surprising when those of lesser means end up decorating themselves with something perfectly ridiculous.
The image below is one of many "Tibetan" tattoos I have encountered on the Web; I shall explain shortly what is wrong with it, but first let me mention the different reactions I get from studios when I notify them that a pic or two on their site are a disgrace. Some are very reasonable, they thank me and remove the offensive tat pix quickly. But some are very stubborn, they do not even reply and do not remove the silly tatoo pictures from their site at all.
The artist who made the tattoo below happens to be of the stubborn ilk; I notified her 6 months ago and today the photo is still live on the Web. Alas, alas. She happens to be a good and famous tattooist, but reason and ability to read Tibetan are not among her virtues... which brings us to the specific flaw in this job of hers: it was without doubt made using a piece of Tibetan text taken off a computer that could not render Tibetan script, viz. though it had a Tibetan font the system was not configured to stack the individual graphemes into complete glyphs, hence to a person who is literate in Tibetan the text appears broken.

Let this be a warning to anyone not literate in Tibetan trying to cook up their own "Tibetan" tattoo designs! (If your sole motivation is to impress people with something exotic on your skin and you do not care whether it is correct, you might as well create your own system of writing anew and ink it, instead of torturing poor old Tibetan.)

In conclusion I would like to say that for the discerning tattoo-seekers floating about, lost in Cyber-Space out there, I guess there is no other way but to consult an expert, keeping in mind that as of now, there are only a handful of reliable people offering Tibetan Translation or Design.
---
I am typing the latest additions to this note in NOV 2010, about a week after the Google Algorithm glitch caused a total re-shuffle in the various sites' Result Page rankings. Consequently, if you Google keywords such as "tibetan tattoo" or "tibetan translation", you'll get a few of the very best services rubbing shoulders with a few of the very worst in the Top 10 results page.
While verification of other translators' products has always been a part of my job, I am now suddenly seeing a flood of completely wrong translations being submitted by (rightly) suspicious customers, precisely because of the Google trouble, and I find the extent of the malaise most disturbing.
I have mentioned that it is sometimes hard to suspect that a design is faulty simply because the image looks very polished. Well, in contrast to that, should you receive an image similar to the one below you don't need to know a thing about Tibetan to be able to guess that you've thrown your money through the window; the size & resolution, the poor finish of the image are very tell-tale signs. But the grief does not end there: the way this person is converting names into Tibetan can be compared to the way a man would drive a car after drinking a bottle of whiskey!

The above "product" comes from a would-be translator who has recently become quite a headache for me because I continually receive requests for verification of his output, and much of it is completely wrong. (People pay him for translation and then, uneasy because the files he sends look unprofessional, often come to me to check them for errors.)
If you receive files that neither have the author's name in the file name nor have his logo/signature/seal displayed anywhere in the files, you should not have that design tattooed.
In general, be careful about engaging anyone on tattoo forums who only offers his Email address as a means of identification. This particular, half-deranged 'translator' is a perfect chameleon: he spams forums under more than a dozen different aliases and at least three different Email addresses (but you can unmask him if you pay attention to the poster's IP address).
Just to make sure this is not going to sound like some personal vendetta, let me mention that the character under discussion just recently uploaded several established artists' designs (including my avatar image!) to his FaceBook albums and showed them off as his own! (He was reported, of course, by all of us, and has since been banned from FB.) He also started a blog and simply copy-pasted original text from a real translation agency. He did not even have the sense to remove from the stolen text the several instances of the name of the agency once he had transplanted the text onto his blog! Unbelievable. (The agency of course reported him and he has been banned from Blogger, too. Etc.etc.)

This is a very sad, but true story.

I have personally offered him a PayPal donation if he would consider going back to his regular job so that he would stop making a fool of himself (and cheating his customers in the process), but he just won't relent! He is now back on the tattoo forums, with a brand new Email address...

But I digress. Back from the forums to what you can expect in the Google results:
Admittedly, unsavoury translators had made their way into top results in the past, too, and to be fair to Google it must be explained why this happens: It is because although they are not competent as translators they sometimes sport very polished Websites made by professional Web-designers, complete with SEO optimisation and state-of-the-art secure payment gateways, all of which inspires people to trust them.
They also achieve high ranking because although they are lousy at Tibetan they do provide a proper service in one or more other languages - and this, perhaps, is the easiest way of identifying them:
If you come across a site where Tibetan is NOT the main line of business but is merely secondary to languages such as Chinese, Sanskrit, Hindi etc. you should be wary.

This note has by now grown out of proportion so it may seem that I have nothing better to do under the sun but to bash my competition. Not true. I loathe writing this, but what I loathe even more is unscrupulous individuals fooling their customers just because they can.

They should mend their immoral ways.

NOTE 10: Last but not least: please do not take the word quick in the Quick Order Form above too seriously! Generally, I value my peace of mind and do not like to accept short-notice commissions. (Solicitations of the "I have an appointment with my tattooist at 17:45 - can you deliver the Tibetan design within 35 mins?" variety will not be entertained.)
Not to mention that I frequently pop out to Outer Space to hitchhike through the Galaxy and it may take several Earth days before you receive my response. Therefore, if you are in a hurry I suggest you check my online status via Skype, or the various Messengers, or my phone. If I am on the same planet as you, not sleeping, and in a good mood, I might even churn out a rushed Tibetan design for you!

My MSN Live ID: fxuxtxuxrxe_txixgxexr [AT] hotmail.com [Remove Spaces]
My Yahoo! ID: txixbxext_axlxixa [Remove Spaces]
My Cellular No.: +33 6 60 53 63 48 (I am currently in France)

Once your payment has been received, an Email with an attached JPG image (and any additional file types you may order) containing the actual Tibetan glyphs will follow.
Please add the following address: to your Whitelist or Contacts to ensure receipt.

Last but not least: Most people are not aware that my designs usually are delivered with a considerable amount of linguistic information. I have therefore prepared a PDF version of the Email that is sent to purchasers of one particular item entitled 'There is no Death, only a Change of Worlds'. It can be viewed immediately below in iPaper format - I recommend trying out the different View Modes, such as "FullScreen", "Book" etc.

LINGUISTIC-INFO-FOR-TIBETAN-TRANSLATION-OF-PROVERB THERE IS NO DEATH, ONLY A CHANGE OF WORLDS Tibetalia-Tibetan-Script-Design...

Note that the iPaper is extremely useful for quick online previews of documents, but does not fully convey the functionality of the original PDF. You may therefore wish to download the PDF and also print it if you are going to study the details.

 

TIBETALIA Tibetan Translation Terms:

Translation of up to 10 words and conversion into Tibetan script costs 8 EUR. Translations of  10-100 words cost 20 EUR. For translations of over 100 words where only a file containing text displayed through standard Tibetan fonts and no JPG image is required please refer to my rates on http://www.proz.com/translator/756388

{Persons with a vulnerable social status, such as homeless or unemployed people, orphans, and refugees are entitled to my services free of charge, however, in order to obtain a free Tibetan translation they are required to send me (scanned) written proof.}

Special rates apply for transliterations of personal names into Tibetan or Tibetanised Sanskrit.

A surcharge, typically around 8 EUR, will be added if consultation and/or any advanced design that goes beyond supplying an image of standard Tibetan fonts is required. There is a small surcharge of 2 EUR for additional file formats such as .psd, .pdf etc.

Physical persons whose identity cannot be confirmed are required to pay in advance, in full. PayPal, Moneybookers, Bank Transfer, and other methods are accepted.

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About K-Sora

Travelling is my life

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