The Hebrew in Job 33:20 that is translated as “their lives loathe bread” or similar in English is translated in Chitonga with the existing metaphor “food makes his heart black.” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 131)
Language-specific Insights
told them plainly
The Greek in John 11:14 that is translated as “told them plainly” or similar in English is translated in Chitonga with the existing idiom “[then Jesus] smashed the matter [like a gourd].” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 131)
I threw it into the fire and out came this calf
The Hebrew in Exodus 32:24 that is translated as “I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf” or similar in English is translated in Chitonga as “Then I put it in the fire and — lo and behold this calf here!”
Wendland (1987, p. 137) explains: “When Moses confronts Aaron concerning the golden calf incident, the latter attempts to excuse himself by pleading ignorance, while he attributes the calf to some sort of magical trick. The Tonga emphasizes the climax of Aaron’s account, which would seem to absolve him from any direct blame in the affair, by translating in [the above-mentioned way]. This brings out the assumed wonder in Aaron’s words.”
high places
The Hebrew, Greek, and Ge’ez that is translated as “high places” in English is translated in Chitonga as malende. Ernst Wendland (1987, p. 57) explains: “The preceding expression [‘place for worship/sacrifice on top of hills’], though intelligible linguistically, sounds rather strange to the Tonga who live on the relatively flat plains of southern Zambia. There are ‘hills’ in their country, but normally no one would ever worship regularly there. For this reason the new translation will try out a cultural substitute (see below), malende, the ‘local shrine’ of Tonga traditional religion, where the ‘priest’ (clan head, who may be a chief as well) makes sacrifices to the spirits in time of corporate calamity, especially drought. This would seem to approximate quite closely the main elements of both form and function of the term ‘high places’ in the Old Testament, which were not always or even usually set upon hills, especially in the latter days of the monarchy (cp. 2 Kings 17:9, 29).”
In the Chichewa interconfessional translation (publ. 1999), it is translated as “shrines for worshiping images there.” (Source: Ernst Wendland in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 319ff. )
Go up and bury your father as he made you swear to do.
The Hebrew in Genesis 50:6 that is translated as “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear to do” or similar in English is translated in Chitonga as “No, so be it (Pe mbubo, i.e., you needn’t have said anything), go and bury your father.” “For the Tonga, a funeral needs no excuse.” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 131)
Translation commentary on Ruth 3:1: A Cultural Commentary for Central Africa
A section heading such as that proposed by Good News Bible (“Ruth finds a Husband”) is culturally very inappropriate. Unless she is someone of loose morals, a woman does not go out to “find a husband” (or “man,” the word is the same in both Chichewa/Chitonga). Rather, it is his task to find her. It would be contrary to custom for a woman to arrange a marriage for her daughter. That is the job of the clan representative, as pointed out above, a male in any case, and the initiative in the proceedings must be taken by the suitor. However, where a remarriage is concerned, especially in the case of a son who has died, a woman’s involvement would not be uncommon, since the person to “succeed” to the place of the deceased would have to come from her family line. In such a situation she would not actually go out herself to “find” a husband (RSV, Good News Bible), but she would be in charge of the formal arrangements aimed at establishing the widow once again “in a family” (Chichewa). Furthermore, a woman would never suggest that her daughter-in-law herself take steps to “engage” a man, as Naomi now advised Ruth to do. Under such circumstances among the Chewa and certain other Central African peoples, a wife would be justified in taking her mother-in-law to (the traditional) court for meddling in her marital affairs.
Source: Wendland 1987, p. 177.
It is enough
The Hebrew in 1 Kings 19:4 that is translated as “It is enough” or similar in English is translated in Chitonga with the existing idiom mbubo ono cabonwa or “alright, now, the end has been seen” and in Chichewa (interconfessional translation) as Zandikola or “They (i.e., problems) have choked me (to death).” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 104)
Wretched man that I am!
The Greek in Romans 7:24 that is translated as “Wretched man that I am!” or similar in English is translated in Chitonga as Maawe! Nde mucaangu! or “Mercy me, I am my own younger brother [i.e., I have no one to look to for help in this situation].” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 153)