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 that is translated as “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” or similar in English is translated in Muna as “what comes-out at the lips, it comes from the fullness/overflowing of the heart.”
René van den Berg explains: “It is very impolite in Muna to mention someone’s mouth (wobha) or tongue (lela). The words themselves are not taboo or obscene, but in combination with a possessor they are frowned upon and should be avoided. In fact, if you want to abuse someone, you should refer to his or her mouth or tongue. The implications for translation are obvious (…). [Sometimes] ‘mouth’ was replaced by ‘lips’ (wiwi), a perfectly acceptable term, even when possessed.”
In the German Luther Bible it says: Denn wes das Herz voll ist, des geht der Mund über or “what the heart is full of, with that the mouth flows over” (source: Zetzsche), in Uab Meto it says “his mouth says only what the heart is more than full of,” and in Tzeltal it is “in our hearts arise all those things which come out of our mouths” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel), and in Elhomwe it is translated literally since that exact idiom is used in that language as well (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).
The Greek that is translated as “put his arms around him and kissed him” or similar in English is translated in the Pfälzisch translation by Walter Sauer (publ. 2012) as is em um de Hals gfalle un hot en abgekisst or “he flung his arms around his neck and smothered him with kisses.” (Source: Zetzsche)
In Elhomwe it is translated as “greeted him by hugging.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
See also kiss.
The following is a contemporary stained glass window depicting the father hugging his son in the Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston, New Zealand:
Photo by Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston
The Window of Reconciliation: The Father ran to his son and clasped him in his arms (Luke 15:21). This window portrays the reconciliation of God and ourselves: His grace (shown as brilliant light at the centre of united figures) transforms our hearts. The reconciliation we strive for in our country and our world is also portrayed — and there is no easy road to achieving peace on earth and goodwill to all (Luke 2:14). The modern window shows reconciling figures against a desert-like background that symbolises the death and desolation that threaten us. As the great 20th century poet WH Auden wrote: ‘We must love one another or die.’ (Source: Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston )
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
The phrase in Acts 7:51 that is translated into English as “uncircumcised in heart and ears” is translated into Afar as “You are people who have hearts that refuse God, and ears closed saying we didn’t hear God’s message.” (Source: Loren Bliese)
Other translations for “uncircumcised in heart and ears” include:
See also uncircumcised and stiff-necked.
The Hebrew in Genesis 32:32 that is translated as “eat” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe as kheddinacha or “chew,” which is the verb used when eating meat. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
See also devour and eat my flesh and drink my blood.
The Hebrew in Isaiah 2:4 that is translated as “pruning hooks” in English is translated in Elhomwe as “knives” which are used as gardening tools. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Greek in 2 Timothy 4:8 that is translated as “(have) longed (for)” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe as “wait in love.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Greek that is translated in English as “mustard seed” is translated in Muna as “wonolita seed.” René van den Berg explains: “The mustard plant rarely exceeds 50 cm in height. A wonolita is a big forest tree growing from a tiny seed.”
In the Bislama and Uripiv translations it is translated as “banyan.” “The banyan tree is one of the biggest in the islands, and it grows from a tiny seed. We (Uripiv) added a footnote to explain to more advanced readers what we had done: ‘Here Matthew compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, but since mustard doesn’t grow here, we put banyan, so that Matthew’s meaning will be clear.’” (Source: Ross McKerras)
In Elhomwe it is translated as “tree seed.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
In Gbaya is is translated with the ideophone kɛ̧́ɛ̧́ which “denotes a very tiny and barely visible object. (…) The Gbaya team applied it to faith instead of referring to a mustard seed which is unknown to Gbaya readers.” Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
See also mustard.