The Greek that is translated as “barley bread” (or: “barley loaf”) in English is translated in Elhomwe as “cheap bread.” Barely bread had the reputation of being cheaper than wheat (see here) and since neither barley nor its reputation are being known in Malawi, it was decided to translated explicitly.(Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
See also barley.
The Greek in Acts 27:17 that is translated as “lowered the sea anchor” in English is translated in Elhomwe as “lowered the cloth” “because of what follows about drifting” (see also Translation commentary on Acts 27:17). (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translates as Treibanker, eine Art Floß, dass die Fahrt des im Sturm treibenden Schiffs verlangsamte or “drift anchor, a kind of raft that slowed the speed of the ship drifting in the storm.”
See also anchor.
The Greek in Luke 1:41 that is often translated in English as “leap (or: leaped)” is translated with appropriate idioms as “trampled” (Javanese), “shook-itself” (Kituba), “wriggled” (Thai), “danced” (Taroko), “stirred” (Toraja-Sa’dan), “sprawled” (Batak Toba), “played” (Shipibo-Conibo). In Dan the clause has to be “her stomach moved” since “leaping” sounded vulgar. (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
In Elhomwe it is ahiirukunusarukunusa or “turned around.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Bill Michell (in Omanson 2001, p. 431) explains why in Cusco Quechua the women on the translation team had to intervene to correct a translation that was too literal:
“In the [Cusco Quechua] project in Peru the first draft of Luke’s Gospel was done by a man. In the case of Luke 1:41 his translation was quite literal. He had the unborn child physically jumping, unhampered and unhindered. This was met with some laughter from the women on the team. They suggested an onomatopoeic expression to communicate the sensation of a sudden movement in the womb: wawaqa ‘wat’ak’ nirqan — ‘the child said, ‘Wat’ak!” The child didn’t jump, it ‘spoke’! This times there were smiles instead of laughter as the women recognized something that was authentically their own.”
See also the Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language translation of John the Baptist.
The Greek in Romans 10:2 that is translated as “not based on knowledge” or similar in English is translated as “don’t understand how God likes it” in Huehuetla Tepehua, as “not in the correct way” in Highland Totonac, as “don’t know what God wants” in Yatzachi Zapotec (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Elhomwe as “real knowledge.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Greek in Luke 19:43 that is translated as “rampart” (or: “barricade”) in English is translated in Elhomwe as “trapping pits.” Barricades are not known and trapping pits would be used instead. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “(scatter) freely” or “(give) liberally (or: generously)” in English is translated in Elhomwe idiomatically with moohummella or “(give) not dry(ly).” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Greek in Acts 2:46 that is translated as “with glad and generous hearts” in English is translated in Elhomwe idiomatically as “with free, untied hearts.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
See also generously and ungrudgingly.
For the Hebrew in Genesis 27:3 that is translated as “hunt game” in English is translated in Elhomwe with muura, a term for killing smaller animals (there is a separate term for killing larger animals). (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)