The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “foxes” in English is translated in Mam as “weasel.” Ron Ross explains: “Foxes is often a difficult concept to express in this part of the world. The Mayas don’t seem to know them. In the Mam project we finally put ‘weasel’ rather than ‘coyote,’ which were basically our choices.”
In Toraja-Sa’dan it is translated as sindallung or “civet cat.” H. van der Veen (in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21 ff. ) explains: “This animal is a real chicken thief, and is a type of cat with a head resembling that of a fox.”
In Nyongar, it is translated as mokiny or “dingo” (in Luke 9:58) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
The narrative in Nehemiah 2:12-15 mentions that Nehemiah is accompanied by a number of other people. Yet, the verb forms (and pronouns) in this and the preceding verses are all singular in the Hebrew text. In the Chuj translation everything is retold in plural forms, except the verb forms of “inspect” in verses 13 and 15 since Nehemiah “had not confided in the men what his plans are, so presumably only he is inspecting walls.”
For the Mam on the other hand, translation consultant and the translators reached a different decision: “The team and I discussed this issue in depth and concluded that the level of leadership of the other men was so extremely low (they are only mentioned once and were not even aware of the purpose of the trip) that the singulars could stand.”
The Hebrew that is translated as “let us swallow them alive like Sheol” or similar in English is translated in Mam with the existing metaphor “they will fall into our (eating-) bowl.” (Source: R. Bascom in Omanson 2001, p. 255)
The English New Revised Standard Version translates this as “he clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones.” Mam (Ostuncalco) has an expression which comes from the way liquor enters into the entire body to warm it, and they used this idiom to replace the two figures for complete identification of the curse with the person. “May the curse saturate him as liquor saturates the one who drinks it.”
The Hebrew that is translated as “may his name die out in the second generation” in English (i.e. may all of his male children and grandchildren die and leave no heir) in translated in Mam with the existing metaphor “may his bowl be overturned.” (Source: R. Bascom in Omanson 2001, p. 255)
The Hebrew that is rendered with “cry out” in English translation is translated into Mam (Ostuncalco) as “call out with all your stomach” (for emphasis).
The Hebrew term that is translated as “you will understand” (or “discern”) in English versions is translated into Mam (Ostuncalco) as “understand in your eye/face” (= understanding, insight.)
The Hebrew that is rendered in English versions as “Trust in the LORD with all your heart” is translated into Mam (Ostuncalco) as “sit your stomach down with God.”
See also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling” and trust.
The Hebrew that is rendered in English as “his word” is translated into Mam (Huehuetenango) as “his action.” Word and action may seem contrasting to us, but actually biblically word and action are closely related, especially in the context of a promise to do something, as here (whether God or Hannah).
The Hebrew that is translated as “insects that fly” or “swarming insects” in English is translated as “small animals with wings like flies” in Mam, “insects that fly in big groups” in Chuj, and “animals that fly and have more than two legs” in Kaqchikel. None of these languages has a pre-existing category for insects.