OK, so this is the kind of translation request I swore I'd never make. But my publisher wants to see if we can put together something similar in Irish for T-shirts, so I said I'd give it a go (she's a fluent Scottish Gaelic speaker, so she knows this isn't a simple request)

Can anyone think of something in Irish that might work? A seanfhocal, perhaps? I'm drawing a blank (which, I swear, is what they're going to put on my tombstone!)

Thanks,

Redwolf

Fainic an dtatú mícheart - glac le mo chomhairle (is that correct ?)

Can't she come up with something in Gaelic that might work also when translated literally into Irish?

Anyway, I'm sure we're all familiar with the seanfhocal Is fearr rith maith nâ drochsheasamh, but there's a (slight) variant of it, which I hadn't seen before: Is fearr teitheadh maith...

Based on the variant form, how about:

Is fearr machnamh maith ná drochthatú.

When spoken, as an approximate pun on the proverb, this works better in Ulster Irish, where teitheadh and machnamh both end in an 'oo' sound, as does sheasamh. Or meabhrú instead of machnamh, or even comhairle mhaith, but I'm trying to keep some kind of rhyming thing going.

Another possibility: An tatú ar lár, an tatú is fearr or An tatú ar lár is é is fearr

Again, when spoken, this works better in Ulster Irish, where it'll be pronounced either as 'lehrr'/'fehrr' or 'lahrr'/fahrr'. But I think it works ok in Connacht too.

. No reason for the urú. Otherwise ok.

Edit: I've been trying to parallel 'Is fearr teitheadh maith ná drochsheasamh' but I 've just realised 'Is fearr machnamh...' isn't really a parallel at at all, so That was just a waste of time.

Or simply: Is fearr gan tatú ná drochthatú

Lit. translations would be:

Smaoinigh sula gcuirfidh tú dúch ort
Smaoinigh sula gcuirfidh tú tatú ort
Smaoinigh sula dtatuálfaidh tú

More rhyming suggestions:

Ar smaoinigh tú roimh an tatú?
Smaoinighse roimh do thatúsa!
Smaoinigh thusa roimh do thatúsa!

Thanks all!

She's got the same issue with Gaelic that I have with Irish...finding something pithy is a challenge. We both figured we'd do better to ask others for input.

Redwolf

I'm not familiar with the use of "ar lár" here. What does it mean in this context? Teanglann wasn't much help, alas.

Thanks,

Redwolf

I've just seen this proverb that comes from West Cork. It means - you are intent on going the wrong way, like Donal's horse: Tá droch-fhuadar fút mar bhí fá chapaillín Dhómhnaill.

Tá sé iontach ciúin anseo...

Redwolf

Is fearr tatú gan mílitriú ná tatú gan smaoineach. - suggestion

It's in Teanglann. It means 'missing, omitted, left out' among other things. Sort of 'The best tattoo is no tattoo'. That's not what you asked for, of course.

Some other suggestions:

1- Cuir/bíodh Gaeilge chruinn ar an tatú sin or Cuir/bíodh an tatú sin i nGaeilge chruinn

It rhymes fine in Ulster, so so in Connacht, barely in Munster (check the pronunciation of 'cruinn' and 'sin' on the Teanglann site).

2- Tá/bheidh sé ina ábhar grinn mura bhfuil sé i nGaeilge chruinn

Do thatú instead of a sé of course. Or mura bhfuil an Ghaeilge cruinn instead of i nGaeilge chruinn

'Grinn' and 'cruinn' seem to rhyme in all the dialects.

Ina chúis ghrinn instead of ina ábhar grinn. Same difference.

3- Déan seiceáil roimh thatuáil