The Governor read the letter translates a participle which has neither an explicit subject nor a given object (literally “having read”). Phillips has translated in a way very similar to the Good News Translation: “when the Governor had read the letter.”

In a number of languages a verb of “asking” must introduce direct discourse: “he asked Paul, What country do you come from?” or “… What province are you from?”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .