Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
In Matthew 2:8, Herod addresses the wise men (Magi) with the formal pronoun, expressing respect.
“John the Baptist” in Mexican Sign Language (source: BSLM )
In German Sign Language (Catholic) it is translated with the sign for the letter J and the sign signifying a Catholic baptism by sprinkling on the head.
In American Sign Language it is translated with the sign for the letter J and the sign signifying “shout,” referring to John 1:23. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“John” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign for leaping in the womb (see Luke 1:41) and baptism. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)
A question of cultural assumptions arose in Tuvan. The instinctive way to translate this name denotatively would be “John the Dipper,” but this would carry the highly misleading connotation that he drowned people. It was therefore decided that his label should focus on the other major aspect of his work, that is, proclaiming that the Messiah would soon succeed him. (Compare his title in Russian Orthodox translation “Иоанн Предтеча” — “John the Forerunner.”) So he became “John the Announcer,” which fortunately did not seem to give rise to any confusion with radio newsreaders! (Source: David Clark in The Bible Translator 2015, p. 117ff. )
In Noongar it is translated as John-Kakaloorniny or “John Washing” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
A new oral translation into Yao / Ciyawo, spoken in Mozambique, uses John the one who ceremoniously washes/pours water, using a term (kusingula) that “indicates a ceremonial washing or pouring of water on a person in the Yawo’s expression of Islam which can be used for an act done in repentance of sin.” (Source: Houston 2025, p. 236)
Drawing by Ismar David from Charles L. Allen, 1961. For other images of Ismar David drawings, see here.
The Hebrew that is translated as “your rod and your staff – they comfort me” in English was translated in Tuvan as “your rod and your staff protect me and calm me down.” Andrei S. Desnitsky explains (in: The Bible Translator 2018, p. 233ff. ): “This may sound rather negative when translated literally into Tuvan (a Turkic language spoken on the Russian–Mongolian border). The most probable scenario that would be evoked for readers/hearers involves a serious beating after which the speaker keeps silent. So we had to introduce the word ‘protection’ dajangyyžyŋ bile šykpyyžyŋ meni kamgalap, oožurgadyr (your rod and your staff protect me and calm me down).”
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
Here, angels address people with the formal pronoun, expressing respect.
In most Dutch as well as in Western Frisian and Afrikaans translations, the angels are addressing people with the informal pronoun.
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
John addresses Jesus with the formal pronoun
Voinov explains: “This relationship is somewhat complicated. John and Jesus are relatives, John being the older. However, John recognizes Jesus as more important than himself, as the Messiah whose sandal straps he is not worthy to untie (Mark 1:7). At the same time, Jesus highly respects John, submitting to the inferior position by receiving John’s baptism, and later calling him the greatest among the prophets (Matt 11:7-15). In the Tuvan translation, we finally decided that the overall circumstances indicate that John addresses Jesus with the formal pronoun as a sign of respect.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 15:24:
Kupsabiny: “(A) wise man heads for (a/the) path of life, so that (he) may not fall headlong into the world of the dead.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The road followed by those who have wisdom moves them upwards towards life, and it takes [them] far away from death.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “A wise man follows the path that leads to life so-that he can-avoid death.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The path-taken-by the wise is the path that leads to life which is not the path that leads to death.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “Wise people walk on a road that leads up to a long life; they do not walk on a road that leads down to the place where dead people are.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Tuvan: “The wise man, in order to avoid the lower world, will tread the heights on the road leading to life.”
Kalmyk: “The wise man, in order to avoid death, in order to live long and happily, goes up.” (Source for this and one above: Alexey Somov in The Bible Translator 2017, p. 51ff. )
The Greek in Luke 18:29 that is translated as “house” in English is translated in Tuvan as “yurt-group.” “In Tuvan, where the traditional living accommodation was a portable yurt, the ‘house’ was taken to refer to the nuclear family rather than a building, and translated by a term derived from an expression meaning ‘yurt-group.’” (Source: David Clark in The Bible Translator 2015, p. 117ff. )
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
Here, the crowd and Pilate address each other with the formal, respectful pronoun.
