Language-specific Insights

ankle

The Greek in Acts 3:7 that is translated as “ankle(s)” in English is translated as “the round bone of feet” in Tepeuxila Cuicatec or “necks of his feet” in Ayutla Mixtec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Elhomwe it is translated as “where the feet and legs meet” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext) and in Manza as kpoekû or “leg bump” (source: Troy Christopher Moore, MA Thesis 1998, p. 99 ).

“Feet and ankles” are translated in Matumbi as “legs.” “Foot” and “leg” are covered by just one term in this and some other Bantu languages. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

author of life

The Greek in Acts 3:15 that is translated as “author of life” in English is translated as

will not be shaken

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated in English as “will not be shaken” or similar is translated in Enlhet as “innermost will not fall.” “Innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind (for other examples see here). (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )

Other translations include:

beautiful before God

The Greek in Acts 7:20 that is translated as “beautiful before God” in English is translated in the following ways:

unleavened bread

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “unleavened bread” in English is translated in various ways:

  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “bread that doesn’t have its medicine that makes it puff up”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “bread without its sour”
  • Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “bread that has no mother” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Mairasi: “bread without other ingredient” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Chichewa: “non-puffed-up bread”
  • Chitonga: “bread without fermented grain” (source for this and above: de Regt / Wendland 2016)
  • Hiligaynon: “bread that has-none of that-which-causes-to-expand” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Tatar: “unleavened flat cakes” (source: Lénart de Regt in The Bible Translator 2017, p. 131ff. )
  • Nkumbi / Mbangala / Songo: “bread that has gone no yeast” — “this is an application of a common construction in Angolan Bantu languages for speaking about the ingredients in some foods: ‘there is salt in the soup’ is rendered literally, ‘the soup has gone salt.’ (Source: Riikka Halme-Berneking in The Bible Translator 2014, p. 353ff. )

hypocrite

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The Greek and Hebrew terms that are translated as “hypocrite” in English typically have a counterpart in most languages. According to Bratcher / Nida (1961, p. 225), they can be categorized into the following categories:

  • those which employ some concept of “two” or “double”
  • those which make use of some expression of “mouth” or “speaking”
  • those which are based upon some special cultural feature
  • those which employ a non-metaphorical phrase

Following is a list of (back-) translations from some languages:

  • Highland Totonac, Huautla Mazatec, Lacandon, Cuicatec, Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “two-faced”
  • Obolo: ebi isi iba: “double-faced person” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Tzeltal, Chol: “two hearts”
  • Pame: “two mouths”
  • San Miguel El Grande Mixtec: “two heads”
  • Kekchí: “two sides”
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “double (or “forked”) tongue”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “double talk”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “talk false”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “lie-act”
  • Kituba, Amganad Ifugao, Chuukese: “lie”
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: “someone whose lips are fair” (i.e. “gracious”)
  • Mossi: “have a sweet mouth”
  • Mazahua: “have a swollen mouth” (from too much speaking)
  • Tai Dam: “have a straight mouth and a crooked heart”
  • Kongo: “the bitterness of white” (an idiom based on the fact that white-wash looks nice but tastes bitter)
  • Merina Malagasy: “spread a clean carpet” (an expression used in Madagascar to describe one who covers up the dirt of an unswept floor just before the arrival of guests)
  • Zanaki: “those who make themselves out to be good”
  • Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “those who deceive” (this and all examples above acc. to Bratcher / Nida 1961, p. 225)
  • Kafa: “one who makes as if his belly is clean” (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Agatu: ɔcɛ gigbefu — “disguised person acting a part” (source: Mackay in The Bible Translator 1962, 211f. )
  • Mairasi: “deceiver person” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Bauzi: “good on top person” (source: David Briley in Kroneman (2004), p. 502)
  • Tibetan: kha chos pa (ཁ་​ཆོས་​པ།), lit. “mouth + religion + person” (used for instance in Matt. 7:5) or sgyu zog can (སྒྱུ་​ཟོག་​ཅན།), lit. “deception + fraud + person” (used for instance in Matt. 24:51) (source: gSungrab website )
  • Low German: “actor in a comedy” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006)
  • Kölsch (Boch 2017): falscher Fuffzijer, literally “counterfeit 50-pfennig coin” (source: Jost Zetzsche)
  • German: “pretender” (Heuchler) (most versions), “wanna-be saint” (Scheinheiliger) (Gute Nachricht), “dazzler” (Blender) (translation by Fridolin Stier [1989])
  • Lélé: ne kub so or “make mouth two” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

The Latvian term liekulis was likely coined by the Bible translation of Ernst Glück (1654–1705) in the late 17th century and is still being used today (source ).

The English version of Sarah Ruden (2021) uses “play-actor.” She explains (p. li): “A hupokrites is fundamentally an actor. The word has deep negativity in the Gospels on two counts: professional actors were not respectable people in the ancient world, and traditional Judaism did not countenance any kind of playacting. I write ‘play-actor’ throughout.”

See also hypocrisy.

conversion, convert, turn back

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The Greek that is often rendered in English as “to be converted” or “to turn around” is (back-) translated in a number of ways:

  • North Alaskan Inupiatun: “change completely”
  • Purepecha: “turn around”
  • Highland Totonac: “have one’s life changed”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “make pass over bounds within”
  • San Blas Kuna: “turn the heart toward God”
  • Chol: “the heart turns itself back”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “self-heart change”
  • Pamona: “turn away from, unlearn something”
  • Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “turn around from the breast”
  • Luvale: “return”
  • Balinese: “put on a new behavior” (compare “repentance“: “to put on a new mind”)
  • Tzeltal: “cause one’s heart to return to God” (compare “repentance”: “to cause one’s heart to return because of one’s sin”)
  • Pedi: “retrace one’s step” (compare “repentance”: “to become untwisted”)
  • Uab Meto: “return” (compare “repentance”: “to turn the heart upside down”)
  • Northwestern Dinka: “turn oneself” (compare “repentance”: “to turn the heart”) (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Central Mazahua: “change the heart” (compare “repentance”: “turn back the heart”) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40)
  • In Elhomwe, the same term is used for “conversion” and “repentance” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Western Kanjobal: “molt” (like a butterfly) (source: Nida 1952, p. 136)
  • Latvian: atgriezties (verb) / atgriešanās (noun) (“turn around / return”) which is also the same term being used for “repentance” (source: Katie Roth)
  • Isthmus Mixe: “look away from the teaching of one’s ancestors and follow the teachings of God”
  • Highland Popoluca: “leave one’s old beliefs to believe in Jesus” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • German: bekehren, lit. “turn around”

public prison

The Greek in Acts 5:18 that is translated as “public prison” in English is translated in Elhomwe as “prison,” since all “prisons on Malawi are public.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In Desano it is “where there were many wicked people,” in Isthmus Mixe it is “the prison of the people,” and in Tepeuxila Cuicatec “the jail of the town.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

See also prison.