The Greek in Romans 10:3 that is translated as “do not submit to God’s righteousness” is translated as “are not willing that God should make them good the way he wants” in Isthmus Zapotec, as “do not desire that only God should make them right doing” in Central Tarahumara, and as “don’t give their hearts to have them made straight by God” in Tzeltal. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
The term that is translated as “hypocrisy” in English versions is translated with a term in Oxchuc Tzeltal that means “two hearts,” in Central Pame “two mouths” (source: Nida 1952, p. 150), and in San Miguel El Grande Mixtec “having two heads” (source: Nida 1947, p. 150).
Kituba uses a specialized idiom for “hypocrisy”: “eye under leaf” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel) and in the Mandarin ChineseUnion Version the four-character phrase jiǎmào wéi shàn (假冒为善 / 假冒為善), lit. “impersonate for good” is used (source: Zetzsche).
In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001) the translation team used three different words to translate the Hebrew term that is translated as “wisdom” in English. For the verses referenced here, it uses p’ijil jol or “head wisdom.”
For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).
In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001) the translation team used three different words to translate the Hebrew term that is translated as “wisdom” in English.
For Proverbs 2:6, they used all three concepts of wisdom p’ijil-o’tanil or “heart wisdom,” p’ijil c’op or “word wisdom” (also used for “knowledge”), and p’ijil jol or “head wisdom” (also used for “insight” or “understanding”).”
For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).
The Greek that is translated as “acknowledge” or “confess” in English is rendered as “say openly … that they have believed” (Tzeltal), “approves” (Chichewa), “declares/mentions (my) name” (Kekchí, Sranan Tongo), “talks (my) good name” (Northern Grebo), “testifies to (me)” (Zarma, Pohnpeian), “takes (my) side” (Shona, translation of 1966), or “speaks for (me)” (Ekari). (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is usually translated into English as “peace,” when referring to one’s inner peace, is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:
“rest the heart” (Central Mazahua) / “rest within” (Lacandon) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40 and 128ff.) / “wait well in your heart” (Yatzachi Zapotec) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The Greek in Romans 11:12 that is translated in English as “full inclusion” or similar is translated as “return to their place” in Isthmus Zapotec, as “be called back by God” in Tzeltal, as “when they believe well” in Central Tarahumara, as “when God reinstates them” in Yatzachi Zapotec, and as “when they again become many who believe” in Chicahuaxtla Triqui. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
