Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 39:5:
- Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“You have made my days to be very few,
the length of my years is worthless in your sight;
the life of every person is short.
Selah” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) - Newari:
“How short you have made my life!
From your perspective, what is my life span!!
In comparison with you, my life span is nothing.
[I] realized that a person’s life is only a breath, a short cubit.
Sela” (Source: Newari Back Translation) - Hiligaynon:
“The life that you (sing.) gave me (is) short.
This (is) just nothing in your (sing.) sight.
In truth, the life of a man (is) like a wind that just passes-by,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation) - Eastern Bru:
“You made my life very short before your eyes. My life is as nothing. All people are only like a breath we breathe.” (Source: Bru Back Translation) - Laarim:
“You made my life to be short,
the years of my life become like nothing before you.
The life of each person is like just breath.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation) - Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Tazama, umenipa uhai mfupi sana!
Siku za uhai wangu chache sana kwako.
Uhai wa mtu uko kama vile pumzi tu.’” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation) - English:
“It seems that you have caused me to live only a short time;
my lifetime/all the time that I have lived seems like nothing to you.
The time that all we humans live is as short as a puff of wind.
(Think about that!)” (Source: Translation for Translators)
