By Joe Duffer Translated by Annie Liu

      No longer just the mark of Cain for criminals, the badge of honor for Hells Angels types, professions of love for hardened GIs, the living canvas for freak show attractions, the stamp of loyalty for the yakuza, or the cultural mark of tribal groups, tattoos are now all the rage as a respected form of body art. While being tattoo cool has not hit the stage of "Tats for Tots", given the current popularity of the fashion, that may not be far off for some hard-core body art fanatic parents. We do not recommend it for toddlers but, if body art is on your mind, then we would like to present this collection of tattoo lore for your consideration. Note this is a two part series on body art; next month, look for our story on Body Piercings.

Tattoos gone awry: Engrish and character Tattoos
Your tattoo is going to be with your forever, unless you pay dearly to get it removed, so be sure that you have a reputable and talented tattoo artist working on you. But even bad tattoos can be modified to become something new. Chen Jin Jia (Jay) of J Tattoos, near the Wall, is extremely adept at this, effectively turning a feebly- drawn dragon into a modern piece of art. Some of his work is pictured here. (photo 1, photos 2 & 3 ).

While many bad tattoos can be redone or modified, this is not true in all cases. Prime examples are where English or Asian character tattoos are poorly translated, drawn or improperly spelled. What we call the "Engrish" errors-often seen on T-shirts, motorscooters, menus, warning signs, and other textual messages in Asia, or bad English-to-Mandarin translations errors. With so many English Teachers and other language experts in Taiwan, chances are rare that one would get a seriously bad Engrish tattoo, but be safe and check the translation around for type style, meaning and spelling.

One such sad character case concerns an 18-year-old UK hairdresser who got a tattoo that he thought had the characters for "Love", "Honor", and "Obey", but actually read "At the end of the day this is an ugly boy" in Mandarin. (Photo 2) (source: Metro (London) June 6th 2002). And often, just as bad, there are many ways characters and Western text can be written, so be careful. It would be silly to get a tattoo that says "Sexy Sally" on your arm but have it written in cartoonish characters. And, without meaning to sound cynical, most tattoos outlast the love that inspired them, so it might be smarter to get a locket or a ring or a temporary tattoo for your sweetheart instead of branding his/her name on your arm in ink.
For more stories on Engrish and character tattoos, please visit http://www.hanzismatter.com and http://www.engrish.com/

Take two aspirin and call me in the morning: Words of caution from our Doctor.
While most tattoo artists take every precaution to ensure your health and safety (if they didn't, they would not be in business for long), problems still may arise. Dr. David H. Cheng, a professor at the Taipei Medical University, warns about the following health risks involved in getting tattoos. Infection: Un-sterile tattooing equipment and needles can transmit infectious diseases. Removal problems: Despite advances in laser technology, removing a tattoo is a pain-staking process. Allergic reactions. Granulomas: Nodules that may form around tattoo pigment. Keloid formation: Keloid (scar tissue) may form any time you injure or traumatize your skin. Unapproved color additive in a tattoo ink: Many pigments used in tattoo inks are not approved for skin contact at all. Even a well-meaning tattooist can get this wrong by trusting the manufacturer because they are large and popular, so we caution you to learn a bit about tattoo inks as well.

My momma's going to spank me, or how to get your tattoo removed ? So, Sally left you for another woman and now you want to remove her tattooed name from your derriere, or your momma came into your room while you were sleeping and saw your Winnie the Pooh tattoo on your shoulder and demanded that you take it off? Well, you're not alone. Tattoo removal is the latest trend in body art, growing just as fast as the desire to get tattooed in the first place. Removal methods can be classified in two ways.

The fade-away method is probably the least expensive and painless method, but it requires time and patience, and surprisingly it's still relatively new. With this method, creams and rubs are absorbed into the skin. They breakdown the ink and help the body naturally dispose of the foreign waste element-the tattoo itself. In time, and if done effectively, the tattoo can be completely removed. Most importantly, this method does not leave any scarring, but it could involve health risks of a different sort such as allergic reactions, lesions and other skin problems, and is not recommended in specific cases such as pregnancy, people with auto-immune disorders and other skin problems.
Surgical methods are the most common, and are done in several ways. How effective the removal technique is depends on size, location, age of the tattoo, colors and type of ink used. Laser methods break up the inks and use the body's natural disposal methods to dispose of them, but can also result in scarring and pain. Cryosurgery involves freezing the skin prior to removal, resulting in less blood loss. Dermabrasion involves removing all of the skin and the ink of the tattoo and can run up into the thousands of dollars, and it can be bloody and very painful as the tattoo is essentially sanded off. Excision involves cutting off the tattoo and suturing the skin around it together. Scars result and for large tattoos skin grafts from another part of the body can be done.

Most tattoos can be removed at any clinic or hospital in Taipei. But, of course, we recommend consultation with a qualified dermatologist for finding the best method for you. For more about removing tattoos, a great site for research is http://www.tattooremovalinstitute.org/.
Real "Tats for Tots": Rub on or temporary tattoos ?
While removals require patience or pain, clearly the best method is to not get a tatoo, or to get a temporary tattoo. Temporary or rub-on tattoos come in all designs and sizes. They last about a week before they wash away completely, do not result in scaring and are painless to apply and remove. They look great, too. Their temporary nature, if you have a customized version made, allows you to try your tattoo before it becomes permanent. (photos 4 & 5).
I hope that helps. Whether it's permanent or not, as a last note, I caution you to not drink and tattoo.

Follow these guidelines when getting a foreign language tattoo
1. Get a sketch or printout of the proposed design.
2. Ask several Chinese/Western people what they think.
3. Don't just ask if it means a certain thing. Although it might be better to use different characters, the person you ask may not want to disappoint you when it truly might be better to use different characters.
4. Try and explain what deeper meaning you want to convey. Somebody way suggest a well-known idiom to use instead of a literal translation.
5. If you want your name translated, then be aware that speakers of different dialects may use different transliterations for your name.
6. Remember that Western names sometimes do not translate well into Chinese, and vice-versa. If you are advised that yours is one of them then ask a friend who knows you well to give you a name.
7. Not all tattoo artists are reputable; check the tattooist's reputation before you go in. On this website, http://www.soufoaklin.com/tattooartist.html, you will find the story of a disgruntled Japanese tattoo artist who got tired of seeing sacred Japanese text tattooed on random white skin and took his revenge by modifying meanings into a profane word or phrase, i.e. turning princess into prostitute.

Mentioned in this article:
J Tattoos
200, Roosevelt Road., Sec. 4, B1-3
02-8935-2531
David H. Cheng
Professor of Taipei Medical University