Aniconic Script

In the photo: Victoriah

Visible tattoo: ة ي د ب أ و ا ه ل د و د ح ا ل ر ش ب ل ا ل ك ن و ك ي د ق
Probably should be: لتكن البشرية جمعاء بلا حدود وأبدية [litakuni al-baʃarijjatu ʒamʕaːʔu bilaː ħuduːdin waʔabadijja]
Meaning: May all humanity be boundless and eternal

The Arabic script appears reversed and the letters are improperly connected—both clear indicators of poor machine translation. Moreover, even after correcting for the reversal (قد يكون كل البشر لا حدود لها وأبدية), the translation remains incoherent. The particle قد is highly nuanced in Arabic, with its meaning heavily dependent on the tense of the verb it accompanies; when used with a present-tense verb, as in this case, it conveys uncertainty or likelihood (an incorrect interpretation of “may”). In addition, the noun البشر (human beings) is grammatically masculine, while لها (hers/its) and أبدية (eternal) are grammatically feminine, resulting in a clear gender-agreement error.

According to the model’s Flickr post, the intended meaning seems to be “May all beings be boundless and eternal”, which would translate to لتكن كل الكائنات بلا حدود وأبدية [liˈtakun ˈkullu‿lˈkaʔinaːti biˈlaː ħuˈduːdin waʔabaˈdijja].

Bonus

In 2022, the model was diagnosed with Arnold Chiari Malformation, an incurable brain condition. In January 2025, she underwent a surgery in Spain called the filum procedure, which has stopped the progression of the disease. A coverage of her story with a link to her GoFundMe page are found in this article in The Sun newspaper.

In the photo: Brittany Renner @bundleofbrittany

Visible tattoo: الوردة التي نمت من الخرسانة [al'wardatu‿lːatiː namat min alxarsaːnati]
Meaning: The rose that grew from concrete

The tattoo is a direct reference to ’The Rose That Grew from Concrete’, a poem by Tupac Shakur. The poem is about resilience and how something beautiful and strong can grow despite harsh, limiting conditions.

The Arabic translation is accurate, yet the term خرسانة (concrete) is a distinctively modern technical term and carries associations with cities and construction. In contrast to English, it is not commonly used in Arabic poetry. Also the term نمت (grew) is a general word that can apply to all living things, whereas the alternative نبتت [næb.tæt] (sprouted or grew) often conveys the sense of emerging from nothing or a small seed, emphasizing growth against the odds.

Bonus

12.0K likes, 340 comments, and 1.0K shares | New Tattoo Reveal: Back Lotus & Arabic Script Design | 𝒞𝒽𝒾𝒹𝒾💕😈 (@chid_mmaa) | Posted Jun 8, 202

In the video: ??

Visible tattoo: كل خريف فرصة للنهوض [kullu χarīfin furˈsˤatun lilnːuˈhuːdˤ]
Meaning: Every autumn is an opportunity to rise up
Probably should be: كل سقوط فرصة للنهوض [kullu suˈqootin furˈsˤatun lilnːuˈhuːdˤ]
Meaning: Every fall is an opportunity to rise up

The problem with the translation lies in a lexical ambiguity that distorts the intended meaning: in (American) English, “fall” can mean either the season or a metaphorical سقوط (failure or setback), but in this context it clearly refers to failure, not autumn. Rendering it as “خريف” shifts the message from resilience after hardship to a poetic but unrelated seasonal image, thereby weakening the original intent. The likely cause of this mistranslation is reliance on a surface-level, dictionary-based equivalence without attention to context, metaphor, and collocation - possibly due to employing automated translation tools.

In the photo: Paulina Mikołajczak

Visible tattoo: تستحق أنت ما على تحصل ل حو أخرى مرة ويأتي حولها يدور ما
Meaning: You deserve what you get, [around] time another and around it comes what goes around
Probably should be: تحصل على ما تستحق، كما تدين تدان [tɑħsˤulu ʕɑ.laː mɑː tæs.tæ.ħɪqq, kæ.mɑː tæ.diː.nu tʊ.dæːn]
Meaning: You get what you deserve, what goes around comes around

This is likely another instance of poor machine translation, particularly given several places where the word order is awkward or discontinuous. The phrase “what goes around comes around” should not be translated literally; instead, an equivalent Arabic expression, such as كما تدين تدان (as you judge, so you will be judged), would be more appropriate in this context.

In the photo: Yinyleon

Visible tattoo: فالنتينا كيندرا لونارد [ˌvɑɫɛnˈtinə ˈkindɹə ˈɫunɑɹd]
Meaning: Valentina, Kendra, Leonard
Probably should be: فالنتينا كندرا ليونارد [ˌvɑɫɛnˈtinə ˈkɛndɹə ˈɫioʊˈnɑɹd]

From a phonetic perspective, the name فالنتينا (Valentina) should be transcribed as [ˌfɑɫɛnˈtinə]. Nevertheless, Arabic speakers who are familiar with the conventional pronunciation of the name will likely perceive it the intended way. With respect to the third name, Leonard, the orthographic rendering لنرد would more closely approximate the phonetic form [ˈɫɛnɝd]; however, ليونارد remains the conventional transliteration in Arabic usage.

In the photo: ??

Visible tattoo: ماء حريق هواء أرض [maːʔ ħariːq hawaːʔ ʔarḍˤ]
Meaning: Water conflagration air earth
Probably should be: ماء نار هواء أرض [maːʔ nāːr hawaːʔ ʔarḍˤ]
Meaning: Water fire air earth

In Arabic, حريق is the specific term for a large, devastating fire and is more closely aligned with conflagration. The term نار (fire) is the general term for combustion and is the one used in the classical four elements.

In the photo: Kiya K.

Visible tattoo: إنها تطير بجناحيها [ʔɪn.na.haː ta.ˈtˤiː.ru bi.d͡ʒa.naː.ħaj.ˈhaː]
Meaning: She flies by her own wings

The literal translation is ‘she flies with her wings.’ The Arabic phrase is poetic and flows naturally, but it is less explicit about independence. The idea of self-reliance is implied, not stated; it can also be read simply as the act of flying, without stressing “on her own.”

In the photo: Katrina Thicc @katrinathicc

Visible tattoo: الديك الأسود للحياة [ad.diːk‿al.ʔas.wad lil.ħa.jaːh]
Meaning: The black rooster for the life
Probably should be: الحمامة السمراء للعمر كله [alħamaːmatu‿asːamraːʔ lɪlʕʊmrɪ kulːih]
Meaning: Black cock for life

Slang expressions often resist direct translation. For example, the Arabic term ديك literally denotes rooster or cock, but it does not carry the same colloquial connotations as its English counterpart. In Arabic slang, the analogous “bird” is حمامة (dove). Additionally, the term حياة primarily signifies biological or existential life, rendering للعمر كله (for a lifetime) a more contextually appropriate translation.

The literal translation of the suggested expression is thus: The dark-brown dove for a lifetime.

In the photo: Jcakesbx

Visible tattoo: وأحب أن يكون في عودة أعظم شيء عليك معرفة من أي وقت مضى ، هو فقط ل أحب
Meaning: And I love that it’s the greatest thing you should ever know, it’s just to love
Probably should be: وأتمنى أن تدرك عند عودتك أن أعظم شيء يمكنك معرفته على الإطلاق هو الحب فقط [waʔatamannā ʔan tudrika ʕinda ʕawdatika ʔanna ʔaʕðama ʃajʔin yumkinuka maʕrifatuhu ʕalā lʔiŧlāqi huwa lħubbu faqaŧ]
Meaning: And I would like you to realize upon your return that the greatest thing you could ever know is only love.

I took some interpretive liberty in reconstructing the phrase, as I was not certain of the original wording. I imagined that the tattoo represents a plea directed toward someone who has left but not forgotten.

In the photo: Kayla Roy

Visible tattoo: الشفاء من ماضي التعلم من أخطائي [ʔaʃ.ʃi.ˈfaː.ʔu min ˈmaː.dˤiː‿t.ta.ˈʕal.lʊ.mi min ʔax.ˈtˤaː.ʔiː]
Meaning: The healing from my past, the learning from my mistakes
Probably should be: أتعافى من ماضيّ أتعلم من أخطائي [ʔataˈʕaːfaː mɪn maːˈdˤiːjja ʔataˈʕallamu mɪn ʔax.ˈtˤaː.ʔiː]
Meaning: Healing from my past, learning from my mistakes

The conflation of the present participle with the gerund is a hallmark of machine translation or translation by a non-specialist, particularly when compounded by the inappropriate use of the definite article.

While the use of شفاء is not inherently incorrect, it conveys a clinical tone, suggesting that the past is viewed as a condition to be cured. In contrast, تعافى, though it can be translated as recovering or regaining health, is more contextually appropriate, as it implies a process of reversal, specifically a return to a healthier state.

In the photo: Pauline Tantot

Visible tattoo (hand): أبدا بدونكم [ʔabadan biduːnikum]
Meaning: Ever without you (pl.)
Probably should be: لن أكون بدونك أبدًا [læn ʔækūn bīdūnik ʔæbædæan]
Meaning: Never without you

The literal translation of لن أكون بدونك أبدًا is “I will never be without you,” or more fully, “I will never exist without you,” which closely matches the presumed original meaning. The Arabic word أبدًا is a time adverb with several related uses; its core sense is “at any time / ever / never,” and its interpretation depends on sentence structure and context. For this reason, Arabic does not allow the implied verb “to live” or “to exist” to be omitted as easily as English does.

The word بدونكم is plural and is unlikely to be the intended form, whereas بدونك is singular and can be masculine [bīdūnæk] or feminine [bīdūnik] depending on the diacritic.

Bonus

Visible tattoo (upper arm): أخت [ˈʔʊxt]
Meaning: Sister

in love with my new baby 🎀💖

In the photo: @chaneldiorversace

Visible tattoo: وينبغي أن تكون فتاة أمرين أنيق ورائع
Probably should be: الفتاة ينبغي أن تكون شيئين، أنيقة ورائعة [ʔalftætu jænbæɣiː ʔæn tækʷuːnæ ʃæjʔæjn, ʔæniːqætun wæ rɑːʔiʕætun]
Meaning: A girl must be two things: elegant and fabulous

In Arabic, the definite article (الـ) is not used only to make something specific. One very important use is to generalize a noun, meaning it refers to an entire class or concept, not a particular individual. This is a key difference from English and can feel confusing at first. Such use is common in proverbs and words of wisdom, hence the appropriate translate of “a girl” in this case is الفتاة.

In the photo: Marie Dee @themariedee-secret

Visible tattoo: الصداقة الأبدية [ɑsˤsˤɑd̪ɑːqɑt‿ælʔæbæd̪ijjæ]
Meaning: The eternal friendship
Probably should be: صَدَاقَةٌ أَبَدِيَّة [sˤa.daː.qɐ.tun ʔa.ba.diː.ja] or صَدَاقَةٞ لِلْأَبَد [sˤɑˈdaːqɐtun lilʔaˈbad]
Meaning: Eternal friendship or friendship forever

Although the difference may appear minimal or insignificant, the expression الصداقة الأبدية can be perceived as syntactically or semantically incomplete due to the presence of a definite attributive adjective.

In the photo: ??

Visible tattoo: م ر أ ة
Meaning: Woman
Probably should be: امرأة [im.ra.ʔa] or مرأة [mar.ʔa]

The tattoo uses isolated letter forms rather than connected ones, a feature typically seen in low-quality digital rendering or in designs produced by those unfamiliar with Arabic’s cursive writing system.

The difference between امرأة and مرأة is very subtle. The former carries a faint connotation of individual identity, whereas the latter can be interpreted as implying a more relational or dependent conception of womanhood.