Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 24:3:
Uma: “All this we (excl.) always put on top of our (excl.) pates [i.e., we keep in mind] and there is no end to our (excl.) saying thank you very, very much.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Everywhere and every time, we (excl.) really accept your help and we (excl.) are very grateful to you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “This is a great source of joy to us and large is our thanks to you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Therefore no matter where we (excl.) go, big is our (excl.) thanks to you (sing.) continually.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Therefore, all of us (excl.), we (excl.) are really pleased about it and we (excl.) give thanks with big thankfulness.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Huautla Mazatec: “Every day, also everywhere, thus we stand well to you. Twenty times thus we give you grace, you little father Felix.” (“In court procedure among the Mazatecs ‘twenty times’ is the accepted number of times to thank an official in opening up a procedure before him: ‘little father’ is a term of high respect and is equivalent to ‘noble [Felix].’ — Source: Florence Cowan in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 135ff. )
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the congregation of the disciples).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff. and Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.
W. R. Hutton (see The Bible Translator April 1953, p. 86ff. ) who worked on the translation into Karbi says this: “In Acts 6:3 a matter of church government comes up. The Revised Standard Version has ‘whom we may appoint to this duty.’ Does the ‘we’ include those who do the picking in the first place as well as the Apostles? It is very likely the answers here will diverge along the lines of church polity and Baptists give one answer and Church of England folk another. It would be convenient not to have to take sides in a translation but for those of us who have an inclusive and an exclusive ‘we’ a decision has to be made.”
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including Paul and Philemon) for the equivalent of “our brother” and either the exclusive or inclusive form for “our dear friend.”
In Huautla Mazatec, the translators selected the inclusive we, in Tok Pisin, the exclusive form is used for the second occurrence (“our dear friend”).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff. and SIL International Translation Department (1999).
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee). SIL International (1999) notes that it’s only possible that an exclusive form, only referring to Paul himself, might be intended.
In Huautla Mazatec, however, the translators selected the inclusive we.
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Mal uses 4 forms of the first-person plural pronoun: inclusive dual “we” (includes the person that the speaker addresses), exclusive dual “we” (includes the speaker plus another person but excludes the person that the speaker addresses), inclusive plural “we” (includes all persons that the speaker addresses), exclusive plural “we” (includes the speaker plus at least two other persons but excludes the other persons person that the speaker addresses).
In this verse the Mal translation is using the inclusive plural form, including all addressees.
Source: David Filbeck in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 401ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 28:31:
Uma: “Without any fear/uneasiness, he announced to them that Yesus was Lord and the Redeemer King, and he taught them the way to become God’s people in his Kingdom. And there were none who bothered him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “He proclaimed about God’s ruling and he taught/preached about Isa Almasi, the Lord. He had no fear-whatever to teach/preach and nobody restrained/forbade him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He caused them to understand how the kinging of God would be and he taught them who our Lord Jesus Christ is. He did not hide his teaching and neither did anyone tell him to stop.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “He was bold to preach and teach concerning the ruling of God and the Lord Jesu Cristo, and no one forbid him. That’s that.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “He taught them well concerning the kingdom of God, and all the teaching concerning the Lord Jesu-Cristo. And there was no-one at all who forbade him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Lalana Chinantec: “Just exactly as he wanted, he preached how God is the boss of people’s hearts. He taught the word of our Lord Jesus Christ. There was no one who prevented Paul from preaching the Word.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Huautla Mazatec: “Thus he preached on behalf of the kingdom of God. he taught the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. (There was) no one whom Paul was afraid of. no one who cut him off.” (Source: Florence Cowan in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 135ff. )
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including Aaron).
In Huautla Mazatec, however, the translators selected the exclusive pronoun (excluding Aaron).
In the Karbi and the Tok Pisin translations, for the first part of the verse the inclusive pronoun is used (including Aaaron) but for the last part (“we do not know what has happened to him” in English) the exclusive pronoun is used (excluding Aaron).
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the reader of the letter).
In Huautla Mazatec, however, the translators selected the inclusive we.
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form that only refers to Paul himself. SIL International notes that an inclusive that includes the reader of the letter might also be intended.
