Language-specific Insights

fine leather

The Hebrew that is translated as “fine leather” or “badger/porpoise skin” in English is translated in Kutu as ng’hwembe ya mhala or “skins of bushbuck” (for bushbuck, see here ). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In Yao, it is translated as “soft leather of a big sea animal” (source: UBS, project-specific translation notes in Paratext), in Newari as “dolphin skin” (source: Newari Back Translation), in Kupsabiny as “hides of a hippo” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation), and in Opo as “soft skins” (source: Opo Back Translation).

The English Jewish Orthodox ArtScroll Tanach translation (publ. 2011) transliterates it as tachash-hide. (Source: Zetzsche)

See also fine leather and dugong.

complete verse (Exodus 32:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 32:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “So, do not prevent/withhold me any more! The issues of these people have really pained me, so, I am going to destroy them completely! Although it is like that, I will slowly elevate/strengthen you and your family until you become a great nation.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Now don’t stop me because my anger is burning like a fire. I am going to burn them up. Then from you (emph.) I will make a great nation.’’” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So let me destroy them with my extreme anger. And only you (sing.) and your (sing.) descendants I will-make into a famous/prominent nation.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “I am very angry. You (sing.) stay here first, and then I’ll kill them off. But I will make your children and descendants to become a very great tribe.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Therefore, do not me warn, in order that my heart it heat with them, in order that I shall go destroy them. And I will make you with seed your, you will be nation which will be many.»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “I am very angry with them, and so I am going to get rid of them. Do not try to stop me! Then I will cause you and your descendants to become a great nation.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Exodus 33:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 33:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “God told Moses that, ‘I will come and pass in front of you so that you see my goodness then I will tell you my name. I will have mercy upon the one whom I have accepted to have mercy on and sympathize with the one I have accepted to sympathize with.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He said, ‘I will show all my good works before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will have mercy on whom I want to have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I want to have compassion.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The LORD answered, ‘I will-show to you all my goodness, and I will-mention to you my name, the LORD. I will-show-kindness to whom I want to show-kindness.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And then God said, ‘Right now I will show you (sing.) that I am a very good person, and so I will call my name Chief to you. Listen. If I want to have compassion (lit. have a wounded interior) toward someone, then I will have compassion toward him. And if I want to feel sorry for someone, then I will feel sorry for him.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And he say to him «I will make my goodness [so that] it come pass you in front, calling my name namely Yahweh. Therefore, my heart will be good with one who my heart will become good with him, and it will be cold with one who it will be cold with him.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Yahweh replied, ‘I will let you see how great and glorious I am, and I will tell you clearly that my name is Yahweh. I will act very kindly and be merciful to all those whom I choose.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Exodus 1:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 1:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “If we do not become clever, they may become many and unite with our enemies making an alliance against us and then leave this land/country going their way.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Thus, we should deal with them intelligently. Otherwise, they will become more in number. During war joining with our enemies they will come to fight against us and will go leaving the country.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For perhaps/maybe in time of war they will-take-sides with our (incl.) enemies and will-oppose/go-against us (incl.), and then they will-be-able-to-flee from our (incl.) country/nation. So we (incl.) will-search-for/(Let- us -search-for) a good way that they will- no-longer -become- even -more-numerous.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And if some fight happened, then they will join together with our (incl.) enemies and so make a fight against us. [If] it’s like that then they’ll leave our area and go. But we must follow good knowledge and so search for a way to prevent them, in order that they not become numerous any more.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “come! let us (incl.) seek a way which they not again will increase, that they might not be united with enemies our (incl.) on day which war will come, that they might not out flee from country our (incl.).»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “We must find a way to control them! If we do not do that, their population will continue to grow. Then, if enemies attack us, they will join with our enemies and fight against us, and they will escape from our land.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Exodus 2:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 2:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “That old man (the father) asked them that, ‘Where is now that person? Why did you leave him? Go and come with him to eat.’ The girls went and came with Moses.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then he said his daughter, ‘Where is he? Why did you leave him? Go and bring him to have a meal with us.’” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Their father asked, ‘Well, where (is) he now? Why did- you (plur.) -leave him? [You (plur.)] call him and invite (him) to-eat.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And then their father asked the, ‘Where is that man? Why is it that you left him so that he stayed there? Go bring him so that he comes and eats with us.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Therefore he asked them «That man and where? What is it that you leave for it him? Call here him, that he might come to bread eat!»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “He said to his daughters, ‘Where is he? Why did you leave him out there?/You should not leave him out there! Invite him in, so he can have something to eat !’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Exodus 4:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 4:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “God told Moses that, ‘Go and do like that. Tell/Show the people of Israel that am the God of your grandfathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who has appeared to you.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The Lord said to him ‘by means of this action (emph.) they may believed me. By it they may know that I (emph), the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have appeared to you."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The LORD said, ‘Do this miracle so-that they will-believe that I, the LORD, the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has-appeared to you (sing.).’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And then he said, ‘If you (sing.) go to the Israel people and do like that, then they will know well that I, the Chief appeared to you truly. I am the God of their ancestors Abraam and Aisak and Iakop.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And God said «you go do it like this, that they might believe it that God of ancestors their namely Yahweh, God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, be me that showed you [body].»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Yahweh said, ‘Do the same thing in front of the Israeli people, in order that they may believe that I, Yahweh God, the one Abraham and Isaac and Jacob worshiped, truly appeared to you.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Exodus 5:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 5:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “On that same day, that ruler sent a tough message to reach the people of Egypt who were in charge of slaves and also the Israelites who were in charge of other Israelites” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “On the same day, Pharaoh gave this order to the taskmasters and Israelite foremen:” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “On that very day, the king ordered/commanded the Egiptohanon who were-ruling-over the Israelinhon in work and the foremen who were-Israelinhon. He said,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “Therefore on that day, the great chief of the Isip people made strong talk to the work leaders of the Isip people and to the Israel people’s spokespersons for the laborers and he said,” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “On that day, king said to chiefs of work like this” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “That same day the king commanded the Egyptian slave bosses and the Israeli men supervising the slaves,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Exodus 6:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 6:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “And the men who come from Simeon are: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul whose mother was from Canaan. Those descendants/clans were from the house/family of Simeon.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul who was the son by a Canaanite woman. These were the descendants of Simeon.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The male children of Simeon they were-namely Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, (This Shaul was the child of Simeon from a/the Canaanhon woman.) They and their descendants were-namely the families who came-from Simeon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “Simeon’s male children’s names were as follows: Iemuel and Iamin and Oat and Iakin and Soar and Saul. Saul’s mother was a woman of Kenan. These people were leading in the families [descended] from Simeon.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And male children of Simeon be Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul who be son of woman of Canaan. These people be family of Simeon.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul. Shaul’s mother was a woman from the Canaan people-group. Those men also were ancestors of clans that have those same names.” (Source: Translation for Translators)