Is this phrase intelligible?

[CPrice91]

Hello, I am trying to figure out if a certain combo of symbols is actually intelligible. They make technical sense if you go symbol by symbol on something like Yellowbridge, but I wonder if it just looks silly put together? Or if it's ok?
 

 

This is what I'm trying to discern:

褐大衣

I'm hoping it would be an approriate translation for the term "browncoat," or essentially a long brown jacket/coat.

 

I also wonder if any phrase could be combined with it to indicate that it's just referring to the brown coats but the people wearing them - some suggested adding 人 to it, for instance. Or in this case, something along the lines of "rebel" or "freedom fighter" would fit perfectly.

 

 

Thank you for any help!

[CPrice91]

Apologies - should be "not just referring to the brown coats but also the people wearing them."

 

 

And I would've edited but I'm not sure where that function is, if the forum even has one.

[roddy]

Find a part of the movie where the word is used ,then see what the subtitles say (tell us when it is and we'll read 'em for you). It's not particularly 'official', but it's a good a way as any. I can see 棕衣 used here. 

 

Hope this isn't for a tattoo...

[Shelley]

roddy, I fear it might be, its the name given to fans of a scifi western. Firefly I believe is the name.

[CPrice91]

It's only for a tattoo if it actually makes sense, which judging by the reaction seems unlikely at this point.

 

 

 

Thank you for the version with Chinese subtitles that I would have had no idea how to find. It's said once in the movie, in this clip at the 18:58 mark.

 

 

Just out of curiosity, are your objections in that it's a very poor translation, or do you have some beyond that?

[Shelley]

I always have objections to tattoos, doubly so when it a translation from one language to another especially when its to Chinese, so many things lose their meaning or have unexpected connotations.

 

It doesn't impart any kind of "magic or special meaning" if it is done in Chinese.

 

You run it the problem of people around you not understanding it people always asking "whats that mean" unless you live in a Chinese community.

 

Is the original in film in Chinese? I understood it to be in English.

 

As I always say pick a nice font in you language, and an attractive colour and a skilled tattooist.

 

The trouble is also even if you do your homework and double check everything, if the tattooist is not trained in Chinese calligraphy you can get some horrific results. Take a look at the website Hanzi Smatter  here http://hanzismatter.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Think before you ink and think again and again.

[CPrice91]

I am particularly cautious with tattoos - were I not I would have gotten the (I assume gibberish?) 褐大衣 on me without even thinking about it. This is however my first excursion into Chinese and my general ignorance of it scares me. With input from here and elsewhere it sounds like any even halfway-decent translation for "browncoat" is something that is not possible (although if you told me it was possible I would consider it). ~ Though I am randomly curious, how would one refer to a brown coat in Chinese? (I swear, I won't get it tattooed on me ).

 

 

The movie is both Western and in English, but the society itself has developed such that only English and Chinese (I assume Mandarin) survived 500 years of time passing. In a technical sense everyone is supposedly bilingual between the two (though I'm sure the actors and screenwriters didn't do that any justice ). So really, one could claim the most appropriate version for any text-based Firefly tattoo would be to get it in both Chinese and English, if possible.

 

 

 

Another random curiosity, just to verify in two places - this is the text for "serenity," yes? Nothing lost in translation and more or less means what it does in English?:

[imron]

In the movie they used 宁静, in the series they used 平静.

 

Despite being an excellent TV show (one of my favourites), the Chinese in it was poor and also inconsistent.  Best not use it for anything permanent.

[Nathan Mao]

When I see 宁静, I tend to translate it as tranquil/tranquility, or peaceful (not in the sense of lack of war, but in the sense of quiet and tranquil).

 

I don't usually think "serene/serenity".  

 

Now when "serene/serenity" is suggested, I have no problem or objection.

 

What is the difference between tranquil, serene, peaceful, calm, undisturbed?  We have probably 10+ words for that concept in English.  Having a good vocabulary in English usually means knowing more synonyms. But Chinese tends to have 2 or at most 3 words for any concept, and having a good vocabulary usually means being able to find the most precise word for what you are trying to say.

 

So there are few one-for-one translations...often one Chinese word can be translated as any one of 5-10 different English words, especially if you are talking about non-tangible concepts.  None are really incorrect.

 

If you want to have a tattoo that will make a fluent Chinese speaker immediately think of the TV show Firefly or its associated movie, it may well be impossible.

[imron]

Get a tattoo of a leaf... on the wind... :'(

[CPrice91]

 

Get a tattoo of a leaf... on the wind... :'(

 

Bahaha. Oh, I got quite the chuckle out of that, thank you.

 

 

Well thank you all for the input and the abundance of info - have quite a lot more to think about now.

[Lu]

Another random curiosity, just to verify in two places - this is the text for "serenity," yes? Nothing lost in translation and more or less means what it does in English?

What is lost is translation is the connection to the movie 'Serenity', which is probably exactly the thing you're going for.

Doesn't that movie/series use some symbol, idea, logo, whatever that you could use? Or the stylized portrait of a signature alien, or the outline of the spaceship, something like that? I understand that you don't want to simply tattoo 'I'm a fan of Firefly' on yourself, but using Chinese is not the best choice here.

 

Though I am randomly curious, how would one refer to a brown coat in Chinese? (I swear, I won't get it tattooed on me ).

咖啡色的大衣 or 棕色大衣 is what I would use, meaning 'brown coat'. Yeah, don't tattoo that.

The main reason it's close to impossible to get an accurate translation of 'browncoat' is that that word probably doesn't exist in Chinese. It's an English word for an American concept. Might as well ask how to translate it into Latin. It is of course quite possible that Chinese fans of Firefly have come up with a word for themselves, but unless the meaning of that word is close to 'brown coat', that tattoo would specifically link you to the Chinese community of Firefly fans, which I assume you have no actual connection to (if it even exists), so that's not really the best idea either.

[MPhillips]

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