Language-specific Insights

Listen!

The Greek in Mark 4:3 that is translated with “Listen!” or similar in English is translated in Tzotzil with the traditional story-beginning formula: “I tell you, hear how it is with a man.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

See also listen.

Let anyone with ears to hear listen

The Greek that is translated as “Let anyone with ears to hear listen” or similar in English was translated in Costa Rican Sign Language as “If you want to understand, understand!” (See also Mark 4:1-9 in Mexican Sign Language and Mark 4:1-9 in Russian Sign Language.)

Elsa Tamez (in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 59ff. ) explains: “A literal translation of this verse: ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ (Luke 8:8) is not appropriate for the Deaf community; it is difficult to understand and it can easily be misunderstood. Deaf people have ‘ears to hear’ but they cannot hear.”

In Tzotzil it is translated as “You all who with one heart want to learn, think about what I said,” in San Mateo Del Mar Huave as “Every one of you have heard this story. Now put it in your hearts,” in Gwichʼin as “He that will hear me, let him pay attention to me” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.), and in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as Denkt gut darüber nach or “Think about it carefully.”

In the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) it is translated as “Whoever has ears that are able to hear: listen.”

Willy Wiedmann rendered this phrase artistically in the following way:

Click here to see the image in higher resolution.

Image taken from the Wiedmann Bible. For more information about the images and ways to adopt them, see here .

For other images of Willy Wiedmann paintings in TIPs, see here.

worries of the world / cares of this age

The Greek in Mark 4:19 that is translated as “worries (or: cares) of the world (or: this age)” in English is (back-) translated in a number of ways:

  • Kekchí: “they think very much about these days now”
  • Farefare: “they begin to worry about this world-things”
  • Tzeltal: “their hearts are gone doing what they do when they pass through world” (where the last phrase is an idiomatic equivalent for “this life”
  • Mitla Zapotec and San Mateo del Mar Huave: “they think intensely about things in this world”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi and Pamona: “the longing for this world”
  • Tzotzil: “they are very occupied about things in the world”
  • Central Tarahumara: “they are very much afraid about what will happen in the world”
  • Shilluk: “the heavy talk about things in the world”
  • Bariai: “things of the earth are making them worried (lit. to have various interiors)” (source: Bariai Back Translation)

See also end of the age / end of the world.

the thoughts of the wise are futile

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “the thoughts of the wise are futile” or similar in English is translated in Huixtán Tzotzil as “I know the hearts of those who mistakenly think they are wise. I know that it’s just in vain what they think in their hearts.” Huixtán Tzotzil frequently uses the verb -cuy to express “to mistakenly think something” from the point of view of the speaker. (Source: Marion M. Cowan in Notes on Translation 20/1966, pp. 6ff.)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise. They are deaf blossoms.”

See also became futile in their thinking.

he found a Jew named Aquila

The Greek in Acts 18:2 that is translated as “he found a Jew named Aquila” in English is translated in Tzotzil as “he found one of his own people called Aquila” because a more literal translation would have implied that Paul is non-Jewish (source: Callow 1972, p. 35)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it says Aquila war ein Judenchrist or “Aquila was a Jewish Christian.”

See also the Jews plotted to kill him.

endurance

The Greek that is translated in English as “endurance” (or “patience”or “perseverance”) is translated in Tzotzil as “(good) strength of heart(s)” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.) and in Isthmus Zapotec as “learning not to lose patience.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

In Mairasi it is translated idiomatically as “having well-split bones” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

vain (worship)

The Greek that is translated into English as “vain” or “in vain” in English is (back-) translated in various ways:

  • Guhu-Samane: “with the front teeth of their mouths they worship me” (“‘In vain’ caused puzzlement [because] why should their efforts to worship God produce no results, try as they may? [But the idiom] ‘with the front teeth of their mouths they worship me’ comes from the picture of one who is making a pretense at eating food, hence their deceit is apparent.’ Source: Ernest L. Richert in Notes on Translation December 1963: p. 4-7; reprinted in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 198ff. )
  • Cashibo-Cacataibo: “say I am important, but they do not believe it”
  • Kekchí: “has no meaning when they praise me”
  • Toraja-Sa’dan, Pamona: “uselessly”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “uselessly they remember”
  • Farefare: “their religion is their mouth”
  • Southern Subanen: “their worship has no meaning”
  • Tzotzil: “they say they love me, but this means nothing”
  • Southern Bobo Madaré: “they worship me but they do not mean what they say”
  • Central Mazahua: “it is of no value that they honor me”
  • San Blas Kuna: “their thinking is not in their hearts” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Mairasi: “tribute of theirs for me [which] will-be-on-their-own” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

foolishness of God

The Greek in 1 Corinthians 1:25 that is translated as “foolishness of God” in English is translated into Bunun as “if God was foolish then even his foolishness would exceed our wisdom.” (“The notion that God was foolish was thought to be a problem.”) (Source: Graham Ogden)

TIn Huixtán Tzotzil it is translated as “they mistakenly think that it is in vain what God says.” Huixtán Tzotzil frequently uses the verb -cuy to express “to mistakenly think something” from the point of view of the speaker. (Source: Marion M. Cowan in Notes on Translation 20/1966, pp. 6ff.)

The German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) navigates the issue of calling God foolish (and weak) by putting the words “foolishness” (»Unsinn«) and “weakness” (»Schwäche«) in quotation marks.

See also tempt God / put God to the test.