[identity profile] stolen-tv.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] learn_russian
hey, i'm getting tattoos on my right and left wrists in a few weeks, and i want them to say "right" and "wrong" in russian, does anyone know how that would look?

edit All right, since a lot of people are making assumptions that the tattoo idea was a pun, which it wasn't.. I'm switching the words to my second choice.. Which is "Love" and "Hate". Thank you all for the help, except for those with OUTSTANDING bad attitudes who make this community a little less friendly.

Date: 2005-09-15 06:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] vaguevogue.livejournal.com
правильно - right
неправильно - wrong

Date: 2005-09-15 06:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] vaguevogue.livejournal.com
всегда пожалуйста)
you're always welcome)

Date: 2005-09-15 06:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dimon37.livejournal.com
keep in mind that these are adverbs.

Date: 2005-09-15 07:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gera.livejournal.com
Why would you want to do it in Russian?
Do you realize that the pun correct/right-side is lost?

Date: 2005-09-15 07:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gera.livejournal.com
That doesn't work either.
It only translates into correct/incorrect.

You can try правая-неправая.
That pretty much preserves all English meanings, including the pun.

Also I am still suprprised someone would want it to be inscribed on his wrists forever.

Date: 2005-09-16 12:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] clownshoes.livejournal.com
why not honor them by, uh, maybe, *gasp* learning the language yourself?

Date: 2005-09-16 12:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] clownshoes.livejournal.com
As long as you're trying, that's cool.

Date: 2005-09-16 12:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] clownshoes.livejournal.com
Try just looking for classes, at a local university/college/whatever. I assure you, you'll learn *very* fast :P

Date: 2005-09-15 07:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] prosto-los.livejournal.com
also:
верно / неверно

Date: 2005-09-15 07:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wolk-off.livejournal.com
Don't misguide people, this means "true/false", not "right/wrong" :)

Date: 2005-09-15 08:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] prosto-los.livejournal.com
depends on the context...
"wrong answer" can be translated as "неверный ответ"

Date: 2005-09-15 08:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wolk-off.livejournal.com
Since direct word-by-word translations never work, at least in the case with such different language concepts like Russian and English, the "right" translation of an expression or a sentence may employ - and does employ! - words that are otherwise quite far from direct, word-by-word, taken-from-dictionary meanings. This is exactly the case. If you need to translate English "I will check this out, you don't put it like "я буду проверять это из", right? You translate it as "я погляжу на это" or something like that.

To make the long story short, you MAY translate "wrong answer" as "неверный ответ", but this is not the only possible way to say so.

Date: 2005-09-16 03:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bricoleura.livejournal.com
i think they are Ненависть (hate) and любовь (love)
but i am not a native speaker, so DON'T get these words permanently tatooed on your body w/o checking with someone who knows for sure!!:)

Date: 2005-09-16 04:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mithgol.livejournal.com
Checked, OK, if she didn't mean verbs.

Date: 2005-09-15 07:26 pm (UTC)
oryx_and_crake: (Default)
From: [personal profile] oryx_and_crake
Do you want them to mean "right hand/wrong hand"? Then it will be "правильная/неправильная" (or even "правая/неправая").

Date: 2005-09-15 07:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wolk-off.livejournal.com
The second more or less keeps the pun, though it's more figural than the 1st. Being more "correct" vocab-wise, the 1st losts the pun completely.

Date: 2005-09-15 07:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wolfie-18.livejournal.com
What would be the difference between правильно and право?

Date: 2005-09-15 08:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gera.livejournal.com
Правый may mean right side, morally right and correct while правильный only means correct.

Date: 2005-09-15 08:02 pm (UTC)
oryx_and_crake: (Default)
From: [personal profile] oryx_and_crake
правильный is "correct"
правый is right or just
as in "за правое дело" - "for the just cause"
If we argue and you are right and I am wrong, I will say "ты прав, а я неправа", not "ты правильный, а я неправильная".

Date: 2005-09-15 08:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] red-kitti.livejournal.com
If you do decide to go ahead with the Russian tattoos, will you PLEASE post pictures of them on our page? I would absolutely love to see them!

Date: 2005-09-15 11:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] padruka1988.livejournal.com
Wow, I seem to be a downer about everything... But yeah... It might be funny to YOU, but I'm sure most Russian people would not understand the ***American*** pun. Then, they may think you're strange, or that you don't know how to speak Russian. But then again, they ARE your wrists, and if you choose to ruin them like that, then it's your decision.

Date: 2005-09-16 04:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] padruka1988.livejournal.com
Let me put it like this:

Would you rather have someone tell you it's a bad idea BEFORE you get the words permanently etched into your skin, or have people insult your wrists (either to your face or behind your back) AFTER the fact?

If you think I'm insulting you, then get over it. You posted something on this community asking for opinions on "how would [having right and wrong tattooed on my wrists] look?" Did you *really* expect all of us to say, "Golly gee, that'd look really swell!" If you did think that, you're off your rocker. We can't even agree on grammar rules. By posting on here, you asked me (along with everyone else, of course) what I thought. And I think that those tattoos would look ridiculous.

Furthermore... You don't even SPEAK Russian. So how much sense would it make for you to have some language inked onto your body if you don't even understand it? (I feel the same way about having Chinese, etc. words for tatoos, too...) If that's how you feel you can honor Russian in the best way, then do it... But do realize that many native speakers will probably stare at your hands, and ask you, "WHY????"

And I hesitate to say this but... Russians rarely keep their opinions to themselves. So telling one to keep their negative opinions to his or herself will only make them think that you really have no idea what's going on.

Date: 2005-09-16 04:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] padruka1988.livejournal.com
.... that you really have no idea what's going on, especially if you are part Russian as well!!!!!

Date: 2005-09-16 03:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] uber1337n3ss.livejournal.com
Hmm...that's Greek though. Not to say Russian can't be beautiful as well.

Date: 2005-09-15 11:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chirashi-don.livejournal.com
they ARE your wrists, and if you choose to ruin them like that, then it's your decision.

That is a kinda harsh thing to say. (but it was funny anyways!)

Date: 2005-09-16 04:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] padruka1988.livejournal.com
You know, I don't care what people do to their bodies... But I think most tattoos look bad.

Come to think of it, I've never heard of anyone having a tattoo on his or her wrists.

Better to be harsh than to have someone do something they'll regret later, right?

Date: 2005-09-16 03:35 pm (UTC)
oryx_and_crake: (Default)
From: [personal profile] oryx_and_crake
Why do you think Russian people will not understand the ***American*** pun? "Правая рука - правая, а левая рука - неправая" (Right hand is right and left hand is wrong) sounds funny enough for me. Do you really think that Russian people en masse are somewhat dim and cannot understand jokes?


"Then, they may think you're strange, or that you don't know how to speak Russian." - again, why so?

Date: 2005-09-16 04:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fifthbusiness.livejournal.com
hooray tats! :D i've been pondering getting a russian tat myself, but i think i'm going to go with some kind of iconography rather than lettering.

personally, if you're going to do lettering, i'd go with the arabic. it's prettier looking. russian lettering may just look awkward as a tattoo, particularly in that area.

Date: 2005-09-16 07:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] yozhevich.livejournal.com
I think the Russian could look fine, depending on the lettering used! You could definitely discuss this with the tattoo artist, or if you're in a large enough city, maybe find a tattoo artist literate in Russian.

At least you're responsible enough to ask, as opposed to trusting a tattoo artist's translation. Tattoos will always be controversial, it's true, but it's definitely your right. I personally find INCESSANT USE of CAPS aesthetically displeasing, but I just don't use them in my posts. Except now. Во-о-от.

Date: 2005-09-18 08:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] yozhevich.livejournal.com
No, you just did it in response... ;) That I can understand...

Good luck!

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