Getting A Tattoo

Hello everyone and welcome to EnglishPod.

My name is Marco.

My name is Katherine and today we have an elementary level lesson for you.

That's right.

Today, we are getting a tattoo.

Okay, so a tattoo is a picture that you get on your body and it lasts forever.

That's right.

So we're going to get a tattoo.

We're going to talk about this very popular form of art on your skin.

And so let's start with the dialogue.

Let's listen to it and we'll be back in a bit.

I have made up my mind.

I'm getting a tattoo.

Really?

Are you sure?

Yeah, why not?

They're trendy and look great.

I want to get a dragon on my arm or maybe a tiger on my back.

Yeah, but it's something that you'll have forever.

They use indelible ink that can only be removed with laser treatment.

On top of all of that, I've heard it hurts a lot.

Really?

Of course.

They use this machine with a needle that pokes your skin and inserts the ink.

Oh, I didn't know that.

I thought they just painted on your skin or something.

I think you should reconsider and do some more research about tattoos.

Also, find out where the nearest tattoo parlor is and make sure that you sterilize needles

and the place is hygienic.

Maybe I should just get a tongue piercing.

Ew.

All right, we're back.

So now, let's take a look at five key words that we've picked out for you on Language

Takeaway.

Language Takeaway.

So the first phrase that we have here on Language Takeaway is indelible ink.

That's right.

When you get a tattoo, they draw it on your skin with indelible ink.

Okay, well, ink is what you find in a pen.

So when you write, you write with ink.

And this is something that you can also paint with.

But in this case, we're talking about indelible ink.

So that means it's going to be permanent in your skin.

So something that is indelible means that you cannot delete or erase.

That's right.

You can't take it away.

Okay, indelible ink.

Or sometimes people just say permanent ink.

That's right.

Okay.

So obviously, if you get a tattoo with indelible ink, if you want to get it removed, now you

can with laser treatment.

Okay, so laser treatment uses this very strong light to burn the ink out of your skin.

And it is something that you actually have to go and do many, many times to get the tattoo

removed.

I've also heard that it's very painful.

Yeah, I've heard that.

It hurts a lot, more than getting the tattoo.

Right.

So laser removal or laser treatment is something that you do when you want to take a tattoo

off your body.

I think they also use laser treatment to remove, maybe you have stains on your skin, like from

the sun, or even to remove hair, I heard.

Yeah, laser hair removal is something that many people do to take away some of the hair

on their bodies that they don't like.

Okay.

So obviously, because tattoos are forever, this friend is asking this other person to

reconsider and do some more research about tattoos.

Well, to consider something means to think about it.

So to reconsider means to think about it again.

Right.

So if you're going to make a big decision, you should reconsider what you're going to

do.

For example, I really want to have a hamburger for dinner, but maybe I should reconsider

because hamburgers aren't very healthy.

Maybe I should decide on a salad or something.

Very good.

Okay.

So to reconsider.

Now, obviously, when we have a tattoo done, when we get a tattoo, they use this little

machine that has a needle inside and it vibrates very, very fast and it kind of injects the

ink.

So the friend tells this person to make sure that when they use this machine, they use

sterilized needles.

Okay.

So needles are those very small little things that go into your skin.

They hurt.

When you get a shot, the doctor will use a needle as well.

But a sterilized needle is a needle that is clean.

So something that is sterilized means clean.

That's right.

But it's clean for medical use.

That means that maybe someone used alcohol or even fire to clean something.

Okay.

So as you said, it needs to go through a process to be sterilized.

Like if you wash your dishes, they're not sterilized.

No.

But if you are getting surgery on your body, the doctor is going to cut you open.

He will use sterilized tools.

Okay.

Very good.

And moving on to our last word, very much related to sterilized needles.

We're talking about something that is hygienic, to make sure that everything is hygienic when

you get a tattoo done.

Okay.

Well, something that is hygienic is clean.

So if you have a baby, you want to make sure that the room that the baby is in is very

hygienic.

So you clean it very often.

Maybe you use some sterilizer to clean the different surfaces and things like that, because

babies can get sick easily.

That's right.

Okay.

Very good.

So we've taken a look at five key words there.

Why don't we listen to our dialogue again?

We can review what we've just learned and we'll be back in a little bit with Fluency Builder.

I have made up my mind.

I'm getting a tattoo.

Really?

Are you sure?

Yeah.

Why not?

They're trendy and look great.

I want to get a dragon on my arm or maybe a tiger on my back.

Yeah, but it's something that you'll have forever.

They use indelible ink that can only be removed with laser treatment.

On top of all of that, I've heard it hurts a lot.

Really?

Of course.

They use this machine with a needle that pokes your skin and inserts the ink.

Oh, I didn't know that.

I thought they just painted on your skin or something.

I think you should reconsider and do some more research about tattoos.

Also, find out where the nearest tattoo parlor is and make sure that you sterilize needles

and the place is hygienic.

Maybe I should just get a tongue piercing.

Ew.

All right, we're back.

So now let's take a look at some phrases on Fluency Builder.

We only have three phrases today, but the first one is a phrase you'll hear very, very

often in English.

It's I've made up my mind.

That's right.

The dialogue starts by saying I've made up my mind.

I am getting a tattoo.

So what does it mean if you have made up your mind?

Well, it means that you have decided something.

I have decided to do something.

And the present tense of this phrase is to make up someone's mind.

So I make up my mind, you make up your mind, he makes up his mind.

Okay, so if you're choosing something or making a decision, when you finally make that decision,

that means that you have made up your mind.

Maybe we're shopping, Marco, and you're thinking, well, do I want this or do I want that?

Well, I'll say, come on, Marco, make up your mind.

That's right.

It means just pick one.

Just decide.

Decide.

Very good.

That's a very common phrase to make up your mind, to make a decision.

And well, as we continued on with the dialogue, the friend was saying how the tattoos are

forever and if you want to get it removed, you need to use laser treatment and ends this

part by saying on top of all that, I have heard it hurts a lot.

On top of all that.

This means and even more.

So basically when you're trying to give reasons for something, maybe reasons for doing something

or reasons for not doing something, you give your reasons and at the end you say and on

top of all that.

So in addition or even more than that, this is the case.

Right.

So maybe we're talking about a car and you say, well, that car is not very reliable.

It uses a lot of fuel.

It's very uncomfortable inside.

And on top of that, it's expensive.

And on top of all that, it's ugly.

That's right.

So you're kind of listing things and you're telling the person why you think something

is good or bad and then you end it by giving a final reason.

And on top of that.

Exactly.

All right.

And our last phrase, it's actually interesting because the place where you go and get a tattoo

is called a tattoo parlor.

Okay.

It's a parlor.

Now, this is interesting because you might think that you would say a tattoo shop, but

we don't say this.

So think about a beauty salon or beauty parlor.

A parlor is a shop where we get our appearance changed.

In this case, a tattoo parlor is a special shop where you can get a tattoo or in the

case of this person, maybe get your ears pierced or your tongue pierced or your nose pierced.

So a tattoo parlor is a place to go for that.

All right.

So a lot of phrases there.

Let's review everything one last time and we'll be back to talk some more.

I have made up my mind.

I'm getting a tattoo.

Really?

Are you sure?

Yeah.

Why not?

They're trendy and look great.

I want to get a dragon on my arm or maybe a tiger on my back.

Yeah, but it's something that you'll have forever.

They use indelible ink that can only be removed with laser treatment.

On top of all of that, I've heard it hurts a lot.

Really?

Of course.

They use this machine with a needle that pokes your skin and inserts the ink.

Oh, I didn't know that.

I thought they just painted on your skin or something.

I think you should reconsider and do some more research about tattoos.

Also, find out where the nearest tattoo parlor is and make sure that you sterilize needles

and the place is hygienic.

Maybe I should just get a tongue piercing.

Ew.

So talking about tattoos and also piercings, a very popular thing nowadays, especially

we didn't touch on the piercing aspect of the dialogue, to get your ears pierced or

to get your tongue pierced means that you're going to create a hole in your tongue so you

can put a ring or something in it.

That's right.

So many women have their ears pierced.

This means that they can wear earrings and these are small holes in the bottom of your

ear.

But a lot of people nowadays like to get their nose pierced, so a hole in the side of the

nose or their tongues pierced.

That's right.

You see people now get eyebrows pierced, their lips pierced, even below the lip, like I don't

know, near the chin, between the chin and the lip, they get this thing through it.

It's very interesting.

Yeah.

Also, I've seen belly buttons.

Belly buttons get pierced.

Like on your stomach.

That's right.

And tattoos as well.

Tattoos are so popular now.

People get tattoos, arms, legs, your neck, face, everywhere now.

That's right.

And there are special names for these in English.

For example, if you have a very big tattoo in your arm from your shoulder to your elbow,

that's called a sleeve tattoo because it looks like a permanent sleeve.

That's right.

And actually, women get tattoos also, but for cosmetic reasons.

Many women get their eyebrows tattooed.

Yeah, I've seen this.

So, some women like to get these tattoos that look like makeup.

So maybe if you want your nice eyebrows all the time, you get these eyebrow tattoos or

if you want some dark lines under your eyes, like eyeliner, then you get the eyeliner tattoo.

Also, I've seen the lips, lip liner tattoo.

They do it around the lips to make it seem like you consistently have lip liner.

Interesting.

Well, I don't know if I do that because some days you just don't want to wear makeup.

That's right.

But actually, tattoos in many cultures are frowned upon.

I know that until very recently in Japanese culture, tattoos were illegal because they

were sent to the Yakuza.

And in Jewish culture, you're not allowed to have a tattoo on your body.

And so, if you die with a tattoo, you cannot go to a Jewish graveyard.

Oh, really?

I've also heard that in many countries, some positions, some job positions, you cannot

obtain if you have a tattoo.

Wow, Saul.

It's very interesting.

I don't know why that would influence it.

I think it's definitely culture to culture because it's very popular in America right

now to have tattoos.

But in China and Japan and East Asia, they're definitely frowned upon.

Even for example, in the armed forces in the United States, it's very popular for them

to have an American flag or something.

You see it all the time in movies.

But in other countries, you cannot join the armed forces if you have a tattoo.

Interesting.

Well, let us know.

Is having a tattoo okay in your culture or do people tend to think that it's a bad thing?

Or maybe you have a tattoo.

Do you have a tattoo or a piercing in your nose or your lip or your tongue?

Let us know.

Our website is EnglishPod.com.

We hope to see you there.

All right.

Bye, guys.

Thanks a lot.