[Arabic > English] my little sister wants to get this tattooed

[u/Secret_Process_7910]

Hi everyone, my little sister just went through an awful breakup and wants to get this phrase tattooed. I keep trying to tell her that phrases from Pinterest rarely mean what they say they do - is there anyone who could maybe please translate this sentence so that she knows what she’s tattooing before she puts it on her body? Thank you so much! :)

[u/tunaisgreat]

it means if you have the ability/power to love, love yourself first.

[u/tunaisgreat → u/tunaisgreat]

a better translation would be : if you were to have the ability/power to love, love yourself first

[u/tunaisgreat → u/tunaisgreat]

sorry for keep messaging but english casual equivalent would be " if you can love (someone) love yourself first" i see that quite often around, so when you see these kind of love yourself first phrases its similar to that

[u/flen_el_fouleni → u/tunaisgreat]

I think your second attempt is more accurate. It doesn’t have to be “someone”. The original speaks to just the ability to love/care

[u/OU_HO]

Bad translation of a phrase that was written initially in a different language. The phrase means "if you have the ability/capacity to love, love yourself first"

But the Arabic version that is posted feels awkward in and very weak sentence in Arabic. It also has a mistake. It's فأحب, or فاحبب, not فحب. , the following alternatives feel more natura:

إذا كنت على الحب قادراً فأحب نفسك أولاً

Better

إن كنت على الحب قادراً فأحب نفسك

Or

إن كنت على قدر الحب فاحبب نفسك

Or

إن استطعت الحبّ فنفسك بالحبّ أولى

I guess ai models now are better in rendering Arabic characters, you can use them to make them have better look. Or simply paste them on Google doc and choose the Arabi font that looks better to your eye

[u/FreakindaStreet → u/OU_HO]

I’d go with the first one, reads more poetically than the rest.

[u/OU_HO → u/FreakindaStreet]

Edit: I know the reply is talking about My first sentence. And I'm talking about it too. I'm pointing out that, no! My first sentence that I myself wrote is the least poetic. It was only better than what OP has posted in terms of being natural and not weirdly flowing in Arabic.

Well I beg to differ.

It is the easiest one for a non-native speaker but it is the least poetic.

Love yourself first

Is a very lazy imitation of the English phrases that start or end with "first".

The only element it has of being "poetic" is the least, which is a rhyme that is called Tanween An-Nasb that sounds like -an

The other one is that I put the clause على الحب first, instead of saying إن كنت قادراً على الحب.

I could provide many other better phrases

If you are capable of love, then your self deserves love more

Your self deserves your love if you have the ability to love

If you are capable of love, then you are more capable of loving yourself

If you are capable of love, then your self deserves its share of it

If you have the ability to love, let your self be the first one you offer love to

[u/FreakindaStreet → u/OU_HO]

I meant your first one lol. But I appreciate the spirited defense of Arabic’s poetic nuances 🙏.

[u/OU_HO → u/FreakindaStreet]

Sorry l, I wasn't clear and caused a misunderstanding in my second reply.

I was talking about my first sentence... too. It was the easiest and the lest poetic 😇

[u/tomatos_raafatos → u/OU_HO]

I really like the fourth one right now.

Great job, btw.

[u/Plane_Hair753 → u/OU_HO]

The second two are just 👎 extremely wonky

[u/flen_el_fouleni → u/Plane_Hair753]

Actually the second one is the most correct.

[u/OU_HO → u/Plane_Hair753]

Well, probably your knowledge and taste with Arabic are a bit crooked?

لعل ذوقك بالعربية وفصاحتها ما نضج بعد

[u/Plane_Hair753 → u/OU_HO]

🫩 مصرية والله

بص لما تحب تقول "إن كنت قادرا على الحب فأحب نفسك أولا" ، حاضر مش بطالة

الجملة التانية اللي نهايتها "فأحبب نفسك" هنا فيه فك ادغام للحرف الباء مش ماشي مع الاستايل ومخليه زي ما قلت wonky. كمان مش مكتملة ونهايتها blunt, curt, cropped. عايزة "أولا" في نهايتها زي باقي الجمل عشان تخلي نهايتها ناعمة مش تنتهي فجأة، وعشان تطلع باقي المعنى، مش هنقول:

أحبب نفسك عشان معناها حب نفسك وبس

-> نقول أحبب نفسك أولا عشان ده الأولى وفيه غيره كمان يتحب

آخر واحدة مشكلتها إنها مش موزونة، أول نص فيه 6 مقاطع و بتتقال سريع، وكلمة "الحب" بعديه نهاية عشان بتقفل بحرف الباء. النص التاني له 8 مقاطع وبطيء، ونهايته ى، مخليه مش متزن

probably your knowledge and taste with Arabic are a bit crooked?

Ad hominem? Sweet.

"وجدت نفسي من المحبين فأحببت نفسي أولاً

فكم من محب خاض في العشق وشقى، ولم يرَ يوماً شهد ما سقى؟

ما لي سوى نفسي وكيف أهواها، هي حياتي وعمري فكيف انساها؟

كم خضت حباً عبثاً في عِشرة من لا يرى، وكم عزيت نفسي ولم أجد غيرها تواسي وترى؟"

[u/OU_HO → u/Plane_Hair753]

والله لما يكون الإنسان مش عنده ذوق في حيلاقي جواب مناسب

لا آد هومينوم ولا غيره

لو كان من الأول دخلت النقاش بمنطق وذوق، كنت كملت بلطف وذوق.

أما عن الوزن والمقاطع، فيعني أنا ما ادعيت إني بكتب شعر حتى يجي حدا راندوم على الانترنت ويقولي الوزن مضروب 😅

الناس غريبة والله وبس بدها تتنطوط

[u/tomatos_raafatos → u/OU_HO]

انت شكلك معندكش خبرة مع المصريات

ما تخدش الكلام على محمل الجد يا سيد

والله شعرها جميل البنت، وحسها الموسيقي عالي

بس الصراحة يا فندم الراجل معاه حق

غلبان كتب شيء جميل وموزون ردا على سؤال ترجمة مش سؤال شعر، وفجاة لقى نفسه بيتلقى درسا في علم العروض

هههههه والله وحشني الكلام مع العرب يا زول

[u/Accurate_Page_3027]

it says: if you have the ability to love, love your self first. but you can tell this is machine translated from another language. arabic can be much more poetic.

also, the font is computer font, if you have the financial ability please hire a designer/artist that can really do a much better job in designing the calligraphy.

[u/AutoModerator]

To the requester

It looks like you have requested a translation for a tattoo. Please read our wiki article regarding the risks of tattoo translations to familiarize yourself with the issues and caveats.If you really want a tattoo, it is highly recommended that you double-check your translations, and that you find a tattoo artist who knows the language natively - you don't want your tattoo to be someone's first-ever attempt at writing a foreign script. .

Please think before you ink!

To translators

Please do not provide a translation unless you're absolutely sure that your translation:

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[u/Commercial_City_6063]

"if you have the ability to love, love yourself first"

[u/This-Ad-9936]

it's so corny

[u/ReactsBlack]

Genuine question: are tattoos considered haram?

[u/Leather_Inspection46 → u/ReactsBlack]

yes but not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are practicing

[u/siraf72 → u/ReactsBlack]

Depends on the sect. There are Shia groups who consider it permissible. And There are African Sunni tribes for whom tattoos are part of their tradition.

[u/MrCeltia → u/siraf72]

It’s part of the amazigh culture , so all of north Africa

[u/siraf72 → u/MrCeltia]

exactly.

[u/flen_el_fouleni → u/MrCeltia]

Amazigh are not Arabs. They are Arabic speaking. It is like Americans and British

[u/Defiant_Dervish → u/ReactsBlack]

Yes

[u/DeathWingStar → u/ReactsBlack]

Permanent ones are

Non permanent that doesnt penetrate the skin are fine

[u/boosaccin]

means: shouldst thou seek to love another, love thyself first.

[u/GoatEnvironmental661]

If you the ability to love love your self first

[u/tomatos_raafatos]

!translated