In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.
The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):
“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.
“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”
In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “After those things we went with Jesus to the other side of the Sea of Galilee . . .”
In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.
The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):
“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.
“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”
In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “. . . Then we went with Jesus to the grave along with them . . .”
In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.
The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):
“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.
“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”
In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “Then she ran to where Simon Peter and I were and she said to us . . .”
Note that the English Living Bible (publ. 1971) translates the same way.
Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:36:
- Ojitlán Chinantec: “Therefore if the Son of God liberates you, you will be truly liberated.”
- Huehuetla Tepehua: “I am the Son of my Father. If I free you from your servanthood, you truly won’t be servants.”
- Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “You are like bought ones and the Son of God is able to free you and thus you will be able to rule yourselves.”
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “And if the Son of God cause you to get out from under the foot of evil so you are no longer like slaves, then truly you will get out from under its foot.”
- Lalana Chinantec: “So if the Son will save you, you will really be saved.”
- Central Tarahumara: “. . . If I shall help you so that you no longer have to do wrong, then you truly shall no longer be ruled as if you were a servant of the devil.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
- Uma: “So, if I free you from your sins, you are really free, because I am the Child of God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Therefore if the Son of God is the one who frees you, you are really free for sure.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore if you are set free by the Son of God, it is really true that you can no longer be ruled over by your former slave owner.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Therefore if I who am God’s Child set-you -free from sin, you will indeed by freed.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “As long as I, who am the one meant by this Son, will be the one to release you from your slavery, it’s certain you will be truly released.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Therefore if the Son of God saves you, you truly are saved.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 1:10:
- Uma: “If we say we have not sinned, God we-call-a-liar, and we don’t take-to-heart his words.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “If we (dual) say that we (dual) have not done any sin, it is as if we (dual) say that God is lying/a liar and we (dual) don’t store his teachings in our (dual) livers.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However, if we say that we have not sinned, it’s as if we are saying that God is a liar, and we have not obeyed His Word.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “But if however we say that we have not sinned, we turn-God -into a liar, and his words have not been stored in our minds.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “If we are saying that we are not doing sin, it’s like we are saying God is lying. If it’s like that, we haven’t yet comprehended his word.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “But if we say that we have committed no sins, then we are calling God a liar. Then we are not at all believing God’s word.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “If we say we have not done evil, we treat God like a liar and we do not walk with (obey) his word.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “If we falsely say that we haven’t sinned, but God said we are all sinners. So if we say we haven’t done sin, (it is) as though we are looking on God as a liar. And his Word hasn’t even a little entered our hearts then.”
- Tzotzil: “If we say, ‘I have never sinned,’ it is because we think wrongly that God lies. God’s word is not in our hearts for sure.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
- Candoshi-Shapra: “If we say, ‘we never live bad,’ it is just as if we were setting him up as a liar. His word is not in us.”
- Yanesha’: “If we say, I, I do not sin, we are doing toward him as though he were
a deceiver. His word has not arrived on us in our hearts.”
- Aguaruna: “‘I am not one who sins,’ if we say, ‘God is a liar’ saying we say it. If we say that, we do not believe (say ‘it is true.’) His Word.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:3:
- Uma: “All people who trust/hope-in Kristus like that, they make-holy their lives, like Kristus is holy.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Whoever expects/hopes that finally he will be like Almasi, he should always cause his liver to be clean/holy as Almasi is holy.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Anyone who expects Christ to return always sees carefully to His own behaviour so that there might be no evil just like there is no evil in the behaviour of Christ.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Every person who expects these things, he faithfully-perseveres in turning-his-back-on evil so that his life will be continually clean as is Cristo just the same.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Therefore whoever has this assurance, he is always persevering to live far from sin, because as for this Jesu-Cristo, he really is far from all sin.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “All those who await to become like Jesus Christ, now they depart from evil, they want to live good just like Christ lives.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “And each of us if weare expecting that God will cause us to become like Christ is, we will do so that our hearts will constantly be clean like the heart of Jesus is clean.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “And each one who when he remembers that he himself will be like Christ, habitually fixes his own heart, intending for it to be good, like Christ.”
- Tzotzil: “If we are waiting for God to cause us to become like Christ, we give ourselves for cleansing. Thus good-hearted (no sin) we will become like Christ is good-hearted.”
- Sayula Popoluca: “And whoever waits for what will happen when Jesus Christ comes, he cleans himself as Jesus Christ is clean.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
- Candoshi-Shapra: “The one who waits with joy for Jesus’ arriving will live uncontaminated also. As Jesus is uncontaminated he also will be.”
- Yanesha’: “All who thus do, looking for him, thus they cause to be made good themselves, thus like he is all good.”
- Aguaruna: “He who, desiring (hoping) to be like him,waiting, goods (opposite of sins) like he (Christ) goods.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 4:12:
- Uma: “There has not yet been one person who has seen God. But even so, if we love one another, God remains in harmony with us, and it is truly evident/knowable in our behavior that we love God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “There is no person who has seen God. But if we (incl.) love each other, God is here in our (incl.) livers. Our (incl.) love to God is also increasing and will finally be complete if we (incl.) steadfastly/continually love each other.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There is no person who has even seen God, however, if we love each other, God lives here in us, and our love for God here in our breaths is drawn tight.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Because even though no person has seen God, but if we love-one-another, God remains in us and the love of God that has no lack/fault can be seen in our lives.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “From long ago, no-one has seen God. But if we now really value one another, it’s clear that this God is now really indwelling us, and he has now completed this valuing by us.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “No one has seen God. But when we love each other, then we walk with God. And it is true that we love God then.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “There is no one who has seen God. But if we are loving our fellows each of us the other, God is constantly with us and we are loving him as we ought.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “No person has seen God. But if we continually love one another, God resides in our hearts then, and we really love (look well) on God.”
- Tzotzil: “Even if no one has seen God, if we love one another, he is there in our hearts. Thus more we love God really and truly.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
- Candoshi-Shapra: “No person has ever seen God. If we love each other then God’s love will be brought up to standard in us. He Himself abides (keeps living) in us.”
- Yanesha’: “Our Father, no one has ever seen him. If we love one another, all of us, we are at one with him. His love fills us completely.”
- Aguaruna: “None (no one) has seen God, but it we love others (one-another) God is (lives) in us. That being so like he loves we love.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
Following are a number of back-translations of 2 John 1:2:
- Uma: “We(excl.) love you because we (incl.) believe in the true teaching, and that true teaching we hold-on-to forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “because the true teaching remains in out (incl.) livers and will remain with us (incl.) forever.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason we (excl.) hold you all dear is because we (incl.) hold tight to the true doctrine, and as for this true doctrine, it will never be removed from us (incl.) forever.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “We love-one-another because the true teaching which remains in our minds forever has been stored in our minds.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “We(excl.) hold you dear because this truth has now been able to take root in our mind/inner-being, and it won’t separate from us till forever.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Because all of us now have the identical belief. And we know certainly that this is true. This we will believe forever.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “We (ex) love you because we know what is true and we will walk with it forever.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “We (ex) love you because you plant in your hearts the true Word, which resides in our hearts, and will never be lost.”
- Isthmus Zapotec: “We (ex) love you because we are acquainted with that which is true now. And we will never forget it.”
- Garifuna: “From within the belief which we are within, we have come to love you (the source of our love for you is our belief). This belief will be with us forever.” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
