The Hebrew that is translated into English as “moving (or: hovering) over the (sur)face of the waters” is translated into Ebira as “(the spirit of God) stayed above the water doing NANANA [ideophone].” (Source: Rob Koops)
In Bari it is translated with bibirto, “which is used of a bird hovering over its nest or fluttering round a bunch of ripe bananas.” (Source: Source: P. Guillebaud in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 189ff.)
In Kutu it is translated as “spreading over the water” and in Nyamwezi as ku’elela: “to circle around slowly over water, without touching it.” In Kwere it is translated with katanda, which carries the meaning of being ‘spread out’ over the water as one would spread a blanket out over a bed. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew that is translated as “swarm” in English is translated in Kwere as yamemezwe which means that the water was full of living creatures and implies that they are moving. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew that is translated with “ruddy” in English is translated in Mandinka as “light-skinned.” “‘Light-skinned’ could be considered a cultural equivalent. Although there are a few people with reddish skin in Mandinka, this is not an attractive trait. The UBS Handbook (A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel by R.L. Omanson and J. Ellington) suggests that ‘ruddy’ may have referred to the hair, but medical people know that reddish hair is a sign of malnutrition.” (Source: Rob Koops)
In Vidunda it is translated as “healthy/strong” and in Kwere as “powerful” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext).
The Hebrew that is translated as “freshly plucked olive leaf” in English is translated in Kwere as “an unripe olive leaf.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew that is translated as “bear” in English is translated in Mungaka as “leopard” since bears are not known in that culture (see also wolf) (source: Nama 1990).
In Vidunda and Kutu it is translated as “lion” and in Kwere as “cheetah” (in Proverbs 17:12). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Michel Kenmogne comments on this and comparable translations (in Noss 2007, p. 378 ff.): “Some exegetical solutions adopted by missionary translations may have been acceptable during that time frame, but weighed against today’s translation theory and procedures, they appear quite outdated and even questionable. For example, Atangana Nama approvingly mentions the translation into Mungaka of terms like ‘deer’ as ‘leopard’, ‘camel’ as ‘elephant’, and ‘wheat’ as ‘maize,’ where the target language has no direct equivalent to the source text. These pre-Nida translation options, now known as adaptations, would be declared unacceptable in modern practice, since they misrepresent the historico-zoological and agricultural realities in the Bible. Nowadays it is considered better to give a generalized term, like ‘grain,’ and where necessary specify ‘a grain called wheat,’ than to give an incorrect equivalence. Unknown animals such as bears, can be called ‘fierce animals,’ especially if the reference is a non-historical context.”
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “brother” in English is translated in Kwere as sekulu and in Chinese as gēgē (哥哥), both “older brother.”
Note that Kwere also uses lumbu — “older sibling” in some cases. (Source for Kwere: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew that is translated in English as “livestock” (or “cattle”) is translated in Newari as “living beings brought up in a house” or “living beings cared for in a house” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
In Kwere it is “animals that are being kept.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew that is translated as “bitumen for mortar” or similar in English is translated in Kwere as “tar instead of mud/clay.” (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew that is translated as “feet of his faithful ones” or similar in English is translated in Vidunda, Kwere and Kutu as “faithful people” because a translation involving “feet” did not communicate the correct meaning. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew that is translated as “this is the kindness you must do me” or similar in English is translated in Kwere as “if you love me.” (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “concubine” in English is translated in Kutu as “slave made to be his woman” or “female slave he married.”
Similarly, in Kwere it is translated as “slaves who were like wives.” The translation team explained: “We discussed how concubines are different from prostitutes (there is a word for that) in that they have a similar status to wives (they live with the man often and are provided for physically) and so we decided not to use the word for prostitute which is a loose woman or someone engaging in sexual immorality. But since concubines were an accepted part of the society and culture, this would give wrong meaning.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew that is translated as “hair” in English (relating to body hair is translated in Kwere as upipi — a word indicating small hairs. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
See also (human) head hair.