The Hebrew that is translated as “ornamented robe” or similar in English is translated in Kim as mwaɗak or “multi-colored (robe),” following the traditional translation (Greek Septuagint: χιτῶνα ποικίλον; LatinVulgate: tunicam polymitam; EnglishKing James/Authorised Version: coat of many colours; German Luther translation: bunter Rock etc.)
In Gbaya, the pattern of the robe is emphasized with ŋunyuŋ, an ideophone that refers to anything that is spotted, speckled, or marbled. Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many Central African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “threshing floor” in English is translated in Kim with twal or “termite mound” which are used to build threshing floors. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew that is translated as “crescents” in English is translated in Kim with kaŋ ge pare or “things that decorate” to avoid the suggestion of an Islamic symbol. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “covenant” or similar in English, is translated in Kim as maktub wak-tuli or “sweet-mouth book” when it refers to the book of the covenant. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew that is translated as “divine council” or similar in English is translated in Kim as ɓase ge ne digi zi or “people from heaven.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew Genesis 2:24 that is translated as “a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife” or similar in English is translated in Kim in a similar manner but equipped with a footnote. Andy Warren-Rothlin explains: “This is not a prediction of something that will happen in the future (not even the future from the point of view of the writer), but rather a description of the habits at the time and in the culture of the writer. The problem is that this is not the habit of the Kims. It takes a footnote to explain that in the writer’s day, it was the custom of Jews to leave their father’s house to get married, and that they based their culture on this story of creation.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 2:8:
Uma: “Actually Yesus knew what was in their thoughts. That is why he said: ‘Why are your thoughts like that?” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Immediately Isa knew what they were thinking and he said to them, ‘Why are you questioning like that in your liver?” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then Jesus understood that that was what was in their minds, and he said to them, ‘Why are you thinking like that?” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But Jesus knew nevertheless that that was in their minds, and he said, ‘Why are you thinking that?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But Jesus knew that which was in their minds. That’s why he said, ‘Why is like that in your minds?)” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Kim text for oral translation: “What is the easiest thing; it is that of saying to the paralysed: ‘Your sins have been forgiven’ or of saying ‘Get up, take your bed, go your going (go away)’?” (Source: Bayamy Tchande Awakde in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 23ff.)
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “So Jesus — who knows immediately in his spirit that this is how they are thinking about themselves — says to them: ‘Why are you thinking those things?'”
