Immediately: the sudden and surprising character of the event described in the following verses is marked by this introductory word. Most languages will have a special way of introducing a startling occurrence. Whatever this method is, it should be used here.
The fingers of a man’s hand: there is no particular emphasis on the hand being the hand of a male. For this reason it will be better to say simply “a human hand” as in New Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, and New English Bible/Revised English Bible, as well as Good News Translation. Also it is evident that the writer did not intend to give the picture of fingers detached from the hand but of the hand as a whole. This is made clear by the wording at the end of this verse.
Plaster: the corresponding Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament, but the Hebrew equivalent is related to the word for “lime,” which was used in making plaster. It is found in Lev 14.41-48. In some languages it may be necessary to resort to a general term meaning “covering” or “stucco.”
Opposite the lampstand: this would be in the most clearly illuminated part of the banquet hall. This should probably be stated clearly in most languages. In addition to the Good News Translation model, translators may consider “where the light was strongest” or “where people could see very clearly.”
And the king saw …: in some languages it may be more natural to introduce this sentence by a time clause (“when the king saw…”) rather than by a simple conjunction. Some commentators think that the writing was visible only to the king, but this is not stated in the text and in fact it is not necessarily the meaning. So it would be a mistake to translate “the king alone saw it.” At the same time translators should avoid saying too much in the other direction. “The king and his guests saw it” would probably also be wrong unless the language excludes everyone that is not specifically included.
The hand: literally the Aramaic text has “the hand of the hand.” In Aramaic there are two different words used for the hand, and they are found together here. The first, sometimes translated “palm” (An American Translation, Moffatt, and Revised English Bible), is usually applied to the hand as such below the wrist. The second may refer to the entire arm from the elbow to the tips of the fingers. New American Bible has “the wrist and hand,” and New English Bible translates “the back of the hand.” Such a rendering seems logical, since this is what is actually seen when a person is writing. One commentary has suggested that the two terms together actually mean “a detached hand.” Even King James Version may be helpful in this case: “the part of the hand.”
Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .