Phrase Translation Request

[zerwin]

I was curious if someone could translate or confirm these two phrases. My friend wants to get one of them as a tattoo but I wanted her to triple check the meaning. (provided by a Chinese professor)

 

The first should mean, "If you want to lead them then stand behind them"

 

要想领导他们， 就站在他们后面。

 

The second, "To lead them stand behind them"

 

站在他们后面去领导他们.

 

Thank you!

[imron]

In English, this is a pun because 'stand behind them' can mean 'give them support' or it can mean 'physically position yourself behind them', which is then funny because 'leading' people implies being at the front.

 

You will have a very difficult time accurately conveying this sort of pun in another language.  The Chinese in both examples you gave only has the 'physically position yourself behind them' meaning, and not the 'give them support' meaning, making the sentence a bit nonsensical. 

[Shelley]

It is also quite long for a tattoo, usually Chinese proverbs or sayings are 4 characters long. There are quite a few sites that list these proverbs in English and Chinese.

 

Pick one of these that suits.

 

I would be careful though, getting a tattoo in Chinese if full of difficulties, you may find the tattoo artist is no good at calligraphy and you end up with an ugly rendition.

 

Trying to translate from English to Chinese usually has problems, things get lost or worse twisted in translation.

 

There is a website that shows some mistakes here http://hanzismatter.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Please think carefully about this, maybe something in your own language, choose a nice font and colours, then it will be understandable by the people you will be with most.

 

Using Chinese characters doesn't impart any kind of magic or special meaning.

 

Before you ink, think and think again and again.

[zerwin]

I believe the original intention was a translation of the Lao Tzu quote, "To lead people walk behind them." Does anyone know the original quote in Chinese? I could not find it. 

[zerwin]

Think I may have found it "必以言下之﹔欲先民，必以身后之。" Section 66 of the Tao Te Ching