The German term Pfaffe which today is a negative term for “priest” or “pastor” was first used in that derogative meaning by Martin Luther’s 1534 translation of the Hebrew komer (typically translated as “idolatrous priest” in English). “Pfaffe,” which Luther used as “Götzenpfaffe” (or “priest of idols”), originally just meaning “priest,” was used to implicitly criticize to Catholic priests. (Source: Günther 2017, p. 98)
For other idioms or terms in German that were coined by Bible translation, see here.
The phrase in Revelation 5:5 that is translated in English as “Lion of the tribe from Judah” is translated in Hdi as rveri ma taba məndəra la Yuda, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” “Lion” is also used in Hdi as a term for “Lord.” (Source: Drew Maust)
The phrase in Revelation 19:16 that is translated in English as “Lord of lords” is translated in Hdi as as rveri ta ghəŋa rveriha, “the lion above lions.” Hdi uses rveri (“lion”) as a title of respect and a translation for “Lord.” (Source: Drew Maust)
The Greek in Hebrews 4:15 that is translated as “sympathize” in English is translated in Maan as “to put fire in one’s heart for someone.” (Source: Don Slager)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 68:13:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“Even though you are sleeping between kraals of animals,
the wings of pigeons are covered with silver,
their feathers with glittering gold.’” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“Even those caring for sheep in the sheepfolds got to take silver doves.
The wings of these parrots were silver and the feathers were gold.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“Even-though those (who) remained in the pen of the sheep were-allotted images of a dove
whose wings were-overlayed with silver and the tip of the wings were-overlayed by pure gold.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Laarim:
“they found things like pigeons which had wings
that were silver,
and their feathers were gold.’
Why did some of you hide in a flock of sheep from the fighting?” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Gbaya: “… they decorated themselves with silver sitting along kɛɗu-kɛɗu [ideophone referring to something shiny like precious stones] beautifully like a grey go-away-bird , they fixed themselves up ŋgol-ŋgol [another ideophone referring to something shiny] shining with beads” (ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages) (Source: Philip Noss)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Ninyi msibaki katika mazizi ya kondoo,
kwa sababu sanamu za njiwa ambazo zinaonyesha ushindi,
mabawa yao yamepakwa fedha,
manyoya yake dhahabu.’” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“Even those women who were in the pens taking care of the sheep received some of those things;
they got statues of doves whose wings were covered with silver
and whose feathers were covered with pure yellow gold.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 62:9:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“Ordinary people are just air;
people of high (status) are just a lie;
if they are measured on a scale they are nothing;
they together with air are nothing” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“Small people are only a breath.
Great people are not what they appear to be
from the outside.
But if you weigh them they seem light,
They are lighter than two puffs of wind.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“The people, honorable-(possessional) or low, can- not -be-trusted.
They both (are) just has-no value; they (are) lighter than wind.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Laarim:
“People who are not important, they are just people like breath,
and people who be important, they are like a lie.
If we think about them,
they are all just people to be nothing, to be like a breath.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Kwere:
“All people are like a mere breath,
everyone, old and young, they are of little value.
When they are weighed, all of them together are lighter than a breath.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Watu ni kama pumzi,
wote wa bure.
Iwapo unawapima hawana na uzito wowote,
wote kwa pamoja wepesi kuzidi pumzi.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“People who are considered to be unimportant are as worthless/unreliable as a breath of air;
people who are considered to be important also really amount to nothing/cannot be trusted to help us.
If you put them all on a scale, it would be as if
they weighed less than a puff of air.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The Hebrew in Psalm 55:13 that is translated as “familiar friend” or similar in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) with bwenzi langa la pondaapanʼpondepo, lit. “a friend of step-here-I-also-step-there,” i.e. someone with whom one is a deep friendship with. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
The Hebrew in Nahum 2:7 that is translated as “beating their chest (lit.: heart)” is translated in the 2008 MobaYendu Kadapaaonn translation as “holding their intestines,” the culturally appropriate way for a woman’s “gesture of mourning which consists of holding the lower abdomen with both hands. (Source: Bedouma Joseph Kobaike in Le Sycomore 17/1, 2024, p. 3ff. )
