Tattoo Translation Help Needed...

[ben288]

Ok, so i've seen a previous thread where this particular phrase has been ridiculed as a tattoo, but this has not in the slightest put me off getting it done.

The phrase is... ''Nothing Is Impossible''. Not inspired by adidas. Not inspired by any other brand slogan. Inspired by my own past experiences and the experiences of others whose achievements I admire and which inspire me.

I've done a fair bit of research on getting an accurate translation and this seems to be the best one... 没有什么不可能

Can anyone confirm this?

Also, as for my actual tattoo I was gonna go for this form of calligraphy

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9848/tatu.jpg

Again does this translate ok?

Thanks in advance!

[renzhe]

Can anyone confirm this?

Yes, that is what it means.

It doesn't sound very "cool" when put that way, though -- it sounds very colloquial -- and the "calligraphy" looks like a comic-book font. No offense, but this will make you look like one of those guys who desperately wanted something, anything, Asian tattooed on himself. It will probably look cool to random people in the US, and look silly to anyone Asian.

But then again, I'm one of those guys who would strongly urge you no to do it, so I likely wouldn't like anything.

[ben288]

Thank you for your response.

Can you give an exact translation of what it says?

And to be honest I'm not trying to look like anything or be cool. I'm not trying to impress Asian people or American people, I just find great meaning to the saying and this is how I want to express that feeling.

I appreciate your point of view nonetheless.

[renzhe]

It says roughly "There is nothing that can't be done".

So it means what you want, but it doesn't have quite the same powerful aura of "Nothing is impossible".

That's the problem with translating, especially translating short, catchy slogans. You likely want a tattoo because it means something to you, but it's always dangerous to tattoo something you don't understand, regardless how good the advice you get. You want "Nothing is impossible", and instead, you'll end up with an approximate translation in a different language.

[kurii]

The Chinese text is the closest translation you can get for "nothing is impossible". Unfortunately, as renzhe said, it doesn't carry the same powerful aura as supposed - too ordinary in itself to be inscribed permanently on one's skin.

[ben288]

Thanks for the responses.

I'm not overly concerned with the difference in direct translation, as I was already aware it wouldn't be exactly the same in English. It's meaning is essentially the same.

The only reason I want it in a foreign language is so no-one where I am will know what it says by looking at it. It's a saying that means something to me. I'm not trying to promote the saying. Therefore I chose Chinese as a) it's beautifully written and B) very very very few people where I am will actually be able to read it and understand it, so it keeps that personal feel to it.

Only my friends and family will I tell it's meaning.

Thanks again for your responses.

[lblb198778]

没有不可能

This one is more compact.