Ayutla Mixtec: “see that which will happen” (source for this and seven above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Tagbanwa: “being caused to dream by God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Chichewa: azidzaona zinthu m’masomphenya: “they will see things as if face-to-face” (interconfessional translation, publ. 1999) (Source: Wendland 1998, p. 69)
The Greek in the books of Revelation and Acts is translated as obq-rmwible: “look-dream” in Natügu. Brenda Boerger (in Beerle-Moor / Voinov, p. 162ff.) tells the story of that translation: “In the book of Revelation, the author, John, talks about having visions. Mr. Simon [the native language translator] and I discussed what this meant and he invented the compound verb obq-rmwible ‘look-dream’ to express it. Interestingly, during village testing no one ever had to ask what this neologism meant.”
The Greek that is translated in English as “baptize with the Holy Spirit” is translated in Ixcatlán Mazatec as “(baptize so that) the Holy Spirit will come upon/enter you” (source: Robert Bascom) and in Mairasi as “wash with the Holy Spirit” (“water” baptism is “wash with water”) (source: Enggavoter 2004).
Other languages translate as follows:
Rincón Zapotec: “be baptized with the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit will come to be with you”
Mezquital Otomi: “be baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit”
Mayo: “receive the Holy Spirit in the same way you receive baptism”
Lalana Chinantec: “the Great Spirit will enter your hearts” (Source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The Greek in Acts 27:39 that is translated as “bay with a beach” in English is translated as “hand of the sea and it had sand” in Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac and as “where the sea made an opening into the land, with a level place next to the sea” in Rincón Zapotec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
“Bay” on its own is translated as “edge of the land where water was more quiet” in Tetelcingo Nahuatl. (Source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2-20)
The Greek in John 9:34 that is translated as “you were entirely born in sins” or similar in English is translated as “you were born completely evil” in Ojitlán Chinantec, “not even being born yet you were a sinner” in Aguaruna, “you have done sin from the time you were born” in Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac, “you cursed one, you were born blind because of your evilness” in Yatzachi Zapotec, and “the way you were born shows that you are loaded with sin” in Rincón Zapotec.
(Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
The Greek in Acts 1:16 that is translated “the Holy Spirit through David foretold” or similar in English is translated in the following ways:
“David had told this as he was being given the words by the Holy Spirit” (Isthmus Mixe)
“the Great Spirit of God was within the heart of David when he wrote the word ahead of time how Judas did” (Lalana Chinantec)
“David told about this before it happened through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac)
“as the Holy Spirit said, which David wrote” (Rincón Zapotec) (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The Greek in James 1:4 that is translated as “that you may be mature and complete” or similar in English is translated in Alekano as “your life will become whole,” in Rincón Zapotec as “finish becoming perfect,” and in Eastern Highland Otomi as “that is what will cause our hearts to be mature.”
(Source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Greek terms that are often translated as “worship” (also, “kneel down” or “bow down”) are likewise translated in other languages in certain categories, including those based on physical activity, those which incorporate some element of “speaking” or “declaring,” and those which specify some type of mental activity.
Following is a list of (back-) translations (click or tap for details):
Obolo: itọtọbọ ebum: “express reverence and devotion” (source: Enene Enene)
Ngäbere: “cut oneself down before” (“This figure of speech comes from the picture of towering mahoganies in the forest which, under the woodman’s ax, quiver, waver, and then in solemn, thunderous crashing bury their lofty heads in the upstretched arms of the surrounding forest. This is the experience of every true worshiper who sees ‘the Lord, high and lifted up.’ Our own unworthiness brings us low. As the Valientes say, ‘we cut ourselves down before’ His presence. Our heads, which have been carried high in self-confidence, sink lower and lower in worship.)
Tzeltal: “end oneself before God.” (“Only by coming to the end of oneself can one truly worship. The animist worships his deities in the hope of receiving corresponding benefits, and some pagans in Christendom think that church attendance is a guarantee of success in this life and good luck in the future. But God has never set a price on worship except the price that we must pay, namely, ‘coming to the end of ourselves.'”) (Source of this and the one above: Nida 1952, p. 163)
Folopa: “die under God” (“an idiom that roughly back-translates “dying under God” which means lifting up his name and praising him and to acknowledge by everything one does and thanks that God is superior.”) (Source: Anderson / Moore, p. 202)
Chokwe: kuivayila — “rub something on” (“When anyone goes into the presence of a king or other superior, according to native law and custom the inferior gets down on the ground, takes a little earth in the fingers of his right hand, rubs it on his own body, and then claps his hands in homage and the greeting of friendship. It is a token of veneration, of homage, of extreme gratitude for some favor received. It is also a recognition of kingship, lordship, and a prostrating of oneself in its presence. Yet it simply is the applicative form of ‘to rub something on oneself’, this form of the verb giving the value of ‘because of.’ Thus in God’s presence as king and Lord we metaphorically rub dirt on ourselves, thus acknowledging Him for what He really is and what He has done for us.”) (Source: D. B. Long in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 87ff. )
In the German New Testament translation Fridolin Stier (1989) it is consistently translated as “bow (to someone) deeply” (tief verneigen)
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning:
For Mark 15:19 and Matt. 2:8 and 2:11: “uh’idma-rrama llia’ara” — “to kiss the fingernail and lick the heel”
For Acts 16:14: ra’uli-rawedi — “to praise-talk about”
Following are a number of back-translations of James 3:13:
Uma: “If there is in our midst a person whose thinking is good and whose heart is clear [i.e., aware, mature, wise], he must show his clearness of heart with his good behavior and with his character that appears from a humble [low] heart, like is fitting for people whose hearts are clear.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “If there is a person among you who has deep thoughts/wisdom and really understands, he should show his knowledge in his good works. And his liver should be lowly/humble for like that is a person whose thoughts/wisdom is truly deep.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Any of you who are wise and have large understanding, he must show it by means of his good works. He must not consider himself high as he shows his wisdom by means of his good workds.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “If there is someone among you who is thinking/reflective and understanding, he should show his kind-of-wisdom in his good behavior/character and in his humbling (lit. lowering) himself in his doing what is good.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well who of you is knowledgeable and perceptive/understanding? It’s necessary that you prove it through your good nature/ways, and through the good things you are doing with meekness/patience which accompanies true understanding/wisdom.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “When there arises one who is wise, who thinks on the words he hears, it will be seen who such a person is because he does good. He does what he knows and is not arrogant in what he does.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Central Mazahua: “When anyone of you knows what is good to do and knows how, he will be careful how he will live and he will not make himself great. In that way people will notice that truly that one knows.”
Rincón Zapotec: “If there is among you a man who has great ability and he understands exceedingly, with complete humility he ought to show that he is thus by means of the good things he is doing.”
Alekano: ” . . . if he remains humble and does good things, he will demonstrate the substance of his wisdom.” (Source for this and two above: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
