Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 10:11:
Uma: “All that happened to them long ago to be examples to us [emphatic]. And all those happenings were written to warn us. For we, we live close to the time of the end of the world.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “This is the reason why all those things happened to them so that people would take a lesson/an example. And this is also written in the holy-book in order that we (incl.) will not do like they did because the end of the world will soon come.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason all of these things happend is so that everybody might know that that’s not the kind of activity that pleases God, and this was also written so that we might be taught that God will punish those who do things like that, because as for us (incl.) we will soon arrive at the fulfillment of all the things that were prophesied long ago.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “All those-things that happened to them, they show how God punishes sinful people, and he caused-(them) -to-be-written to warn us, because here-it-is close-to the end of the world.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “This happened to them as like a warning to everyone, and it was written down so that it would warn us also, we who are of the final time period.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the disaster encountered by our ancestors, it was written in the Holy Book about what happened in order that the people who live now in these days which are the last ones should be told not to do like them.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 21:28:
Noongar: “When this starts happening, stand up and lift your heads. Your salvation comes!'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “When all this begins to happen, make-strong your hearts and look-up, for the time has almost arrived you will be freed from your suffering.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Na, when what I said here begins to happen, stand up and look up for it will not be long now that you will be really saved.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when all of these things that I have talked about start to come to pass, be on your guard and be happy because God’s setting you free will soon happen.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Therefore when all these-things begin to happen, strengthen and make-happy your minds, because your salvation is near.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, when all these begin to happen, be happy now. Strengthen your mind/inner-being, because the saving/freeing of you really is close now.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The Greek that is often translated as “church” in English is translated into Avaric as imanl’urazul ahlu: “the community of believers” or “the believing people.”
Magomed-Kamil Gimbatov and Yakov Testelets (in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 434ff. ) talk about the genesis of this term (click or tap here to read more):
“The word ‘Church’ presents particular difficulties, as we might expect when we think that even many Christians do not understand it correctly. When people today say ‘church,’ they often mean a particular building, or an organization consisting chiefly of clergy (priests and monks). It is even harder to find a word or combination of words which adequately translates the meaning for people unfamiliar with Christianity. Surprisingly, the Greek word ekklesia, indicating in the classical language ‘an assembly of the people,’ ‘a gathering of citizens,’ has come into Avar and other Dagestani languages in the form kilisa. This, like the word qanch (‘cross’), is an ancient borrowing, presumably from the time before the arrival of Islam, when Dagestan came under the influence of neighboring Christian states. In modern usage, however, this word indicates a place of Christian worship. Thus it is completely inappropriate as a translation of its New Testament ancestor ekklesia.
“We were obliged to look at various words which are closer to the meaning of the Greek. Some of these words are dandel’i (‘meeting’), danderussin (‘assembly’), the Arabic-derived mazhlis (‘meeting, conference’), zhama’at (‘society, community’), ahlu (‘race, people, family, group of people united by a common goal or interest’, as in the Arabic phrase ahlu-l-kitab ‘people of the Book’ or ‘people of the Scriptures’), which describes both Jews and Christians, and ummat (‘people, tribe’). In Islamic theology the phrase ‘Mohammed’s ummat’ means the universal community of Muslims, the Muslim world, in the same way as the Christian world is known as ‘Isa’s ummat.’ None of these descriptions on their own, without explanation, can be used to translate the word ‘Church’ in the New Testament. Thus, after long consideration, we adopted the phrase imanl’urazul ahlu, meaning ‘the community of believers,’ ‘the believing people,’ This translation corresponds closely to New Testament teaching about the Church.
“It is interesting that the same word ahlu with the meaning ‘tribe, community’ has been used by translators for different reasons in the introduction to the Gospel of Luke in order to translate the expression in the original Greek pepleroforemenon en hemin pragmaton (πεπληροφορημένων ἐν ἡμῖν πραγμάτων), which the Russian Synodal translation renders ‘about the events well-known amongst us’ (Luke 1:1). The expression ‘amongst us’ cannot be translated literally into Avar, but has to be rendered ‘among our people’; and here the same term was used as for the word ‘church’, literally ‘among our tribe, community (ahlu).'”
In Kamo “church” is fang-balla (“owners of writing-people”) when referring to the church community and “house of writing-people” when referring to a church building. David Frank explains: “In Kamo culture, Christianity was associated with writing, so Christianity is called balla, which they say means ‘people who write.’ Christianity is balla, and Christians are called fang-balla, which means ‘owners of Christianity.’ That is the term that is used for the church, in the sense of people, rather than a building. In Philemon 1:1b-2a, Paul says he is writing ‘To our friend and fellow worker Philemon, and to the church (fang-balla ‘owners of Christianity) that meet in your house.’ The word fang “owner’ is very productive in the Kamo language. A disciple is an ‘owner of learning,’ an apostle is an ‘owner of sending,’ a believer is an ‘owner of truth,’ a hypocrite is an ‘owner of seeing eyes.’ The expression ‘house of writing-people’ is used in Matthew 16:18, which reads in Kamo, ‘And so I tell you Peter, you are a rock, and on top of this rock foundation I will build my house of writing-people, and never even death will not be able to overcome it.” (See also Peter – rock)
In Bacama there also is a differentiation between the building (vɨnə hiutə: “house of prayer”) and the community (ji-kottə: “followers”) (source: David Frank in this blog post ).
In 16th-century Classical Nahuatl, a transliteration from Spanish (Santa Yglesia or Santa Iglesia) is typically used rather than a translation, making the concept take on a personified meaning. Ottman (p. 169) explains: “The church building, or more precisely the church complex with its associated patio, has a Nahuatl name in common usage — generally teopan, something like ‘god-place,’ in contradistinction to teocalli, ‘god-house,’ applied to a prehispanic temple — but the abstract sense is always Santa Iglesia, a Spanish proper name like ‘Dios’ or ‘Santa María’, and like ‘Santa María’ often called ‘our mother.’ As a personified ‘mother,’ in the European tradition as well as in Nahuatl, She instructs Her children or chastises them; as Bride of Christ, She both longs for Her heavenly rest and bears witness to it, in the ‘always-already’ of eschatological time; as successor to the Synagogue, the blindfolded, broken-sceptred elder sister who accompanies Her in painting and sculpture, She represents the triumphant rule of truth. ‘The Church’ can mean the clerical hierarchy; it can also, or simultaneously, mean the assembly of the faithful. It dispenses grace to its members, living and dead, yet it is also enriched by them, living and dead, existing not only on earth but in purgatory and in heaven.”
In Lisu the building (“church”) is called “house of prayer” (source: Arrington 2020, p. 196) whereas in Highland Totonac the community is referred as “those who gather together” (source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. ), in Huehuetla Tepehua as “those who gather together who have confidence in Christ” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), in Uma as “Christian people” (source: Uma Back Translation), in Kankanaey as “the congregation of God’s people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation), and in Tagbanwa as “you whom God separated-out as his people because of your being-united/tied-together with Jesus Christ” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).
In American Sign Language, “church” (as in the community of believers) is made up of the combination of the signs for “Jesus-into-heart” (signifying a believer), followed by the sign for “group.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Church” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
While British Sign Language also uses a sign that focuses on a group of people believing in Jesus (see here ), another sign that it uses combines the signs for “ringing the (church) bells” and a “group of people.” (Source: Anna Smith)
“Church” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 11:10:
Uma: “That’s why a woman must wear-a-veil, as a sign of her submission, for there are also angels watching/looking-down-at us.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Therefore the woman should wear-a-cover, so that the angels know that her husband rules over her.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because of this, it is necessary that there is a covering for the head of a woman so that even the angels of God in Heaven might know that the woman is obeying what her husband says.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Therefore since that is the status of the woman, she should wear-a-headcloth to show that she subjects-herself to the man, because even the angels, they are watching.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Therefore when you gather together it’s necessary that the woman have her face veiled, (which is) a sign that she is acknowledging that the man is her like-the-head, and also for-the-happiness-of the angels.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Therefore it thus is that I say now that the woman must cover her head, this being a sign that she obeys her husband. And this is what the angels of God look well upon.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 22:22:
Noongar: “The Son of Man will die, in the way God has said, but it is very terrible for the man betraying him.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “I the Son of Man definitely must die like was made-certain by God. But pity that person who sells me!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I, the Son of Mankind, I die because this is God’s destiny for me. But the person who is betraying me is really to be pitied.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for me, the older sibling of mankind, I will die just the same according to what is determined for me by God. But pity very much the one who betrays me.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “I who am Child of a Person, I emphatically will die according to what God decided back before, but the one who will betray me is to-be-pitied nonetheless.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I who am the One From Heaven Born of Man/human really will be killed, for of course what God determined will be fulfilled. But really extremely heavy is in store for that one who is going to lead (them)!'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 1:17:
Uma: “So, from Abraham to Daud, the number of the list/order of the ancestors of Yesus are 14 layers. From Daud until the captivity of the Yahudi people going to Babel, also 14 layers. And from the captivity of the Yahudi people going to Babel until the birth of Kristus, also 14 layers.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “So-then there are fourteen generations from Ibrahim to Sultan Da’ud, and fourteen generations from Sultan Da’ud up to the time when they were deported to Babilon and fourteen generations from their deportation to Babilon up to the birth of Almasi.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There were fourteen levels of generations from the offspringing of Abraham until David. And from the offspringing of David to the transfer of the Israelites to Baylon, fourteen levels also. And from then until the birth of Jesus Christ, fourteen levels also.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The genealogy of the generations of Jesu Cristo, it is fourteen (generations) beginning with Abraham until David. There are also fourteen generations beginning with David until the time that the Jews were forcibly taken to Babilonia. And there are also again fourteen generations beginning from their being-taken there until the birth of the one-who-is-called Cristo.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Therefore in all, there are fourteen generations from Abraham to David. There are also fourteen from David until the Israelita were captured by the taga Babilonia. And there were also fourteen from then when they were captured until the Cristo was born.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Therefore fourteen fathers lived having sons, starting with Abraham until David. Then fourteen fathers lived starting with David until when the Jews were grabbed and taken to the land of Babylon. Starting from those days then there lived fourteen fathers until Christ was born.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 12:8:
Uma: “To one person the Holy Spirit gives cleverness to speak. To one person the same Holy Spirit gives knowledge to make-clear/explain God’s Word.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “There are people who are given by God’s Spirit the expertise of proclaiming the good news from God. There are also those given expertise in explaining the deep teachings of God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “To some, by means of the Holy Spirit, are given the skill to interpret the true doctrine; and to someone else is given by means of the power of the Holy Spirit, the skill to explain the deep things which God wants taught.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “God’s Spirit gives to one the ability to make-known God’s wisdom, and to another (lit. one also), the ability to understand and teach concerning God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well some, they are being graced by the Espiritu Santo that they can explain with far-from-ordinary wisdom/understanding the determined-plans of God. In the case of others, (they) are being graced to say something which the Espiritu Santo made known to them.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning some of the believers, the Holy Spirit causes that they know well in their hearts how to apply the word they speak. Others, he causes them to know how to tell the words which are hard so that people understand that word.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 22:54:
Noongar: “They arrested Jesus and took him away to the house of the High Priest, and Peter followed them.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “From there, they really did arrest him, and they took him to the house of the High Priest. Petrus followed at a distance.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then they seized Isa and took him away to the house of the leading priest. Petros followed Isa but from a distance.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then they arrested Jesus and they took him to the house of the high priest. And Peter, he followed — however, not very closely.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Then they arrested Jesus and took him to the house of the highest priest. As for Pedro, he followed at a measurable distance (lit. space-between).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Without anything further, Jesus was taken by those who arrested him to the house of the Most-important Priest. As for Pedro, he followed-along-at-a-distance(usually implies to check on safety of one being followed).” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
