menstruation

One translation challenge into Maan concerned how to express the idea that Sarah no longer had monthly periods. The draft of Genesis 18:11 prepared by a female translator used a euphemism that was very vague. As a result, the other translators did not know what was in view. After a long discussion it was decided to say that Sarah was beyond the age of childbearing.

In Pijin, “menstruation” is translated as lukim mun or “look at the moon.” (source: Freddy Boswell in The Bible Translator 2009, p. 132ff. ).

See also hemorrhages / flow of blood and the way of women / menstruate.

relieve oneself

The Hebrew that is translated as “relieve himself” or similar in English is translated in Pijin bele blong hem nogud or “his belly was no good.” Freddy Boswell explains ny quoting Translation consultant Gerry Beimers (in The Bible Translator 2009, p. 132ff. ): “The typical toilet euphemism in Pijin is ‘go to the bush’ or ‘go to the sea,’ depending on whether you were a coastal dweller or an inland dweller. Having Saul go to the bush in a cave produced a lot of laughs in the translation office, though going to the sea caused even more. So we had to have Saul needing to go to the toilet (bele blong hem nogud ‘his belly was no good’) to avoid the plain meaning of going into the bush, and we had to have him wanting to go (hem laek go long bus ‘he wanted to go to the bush’) because there is no bush inside the cave. We were pretty sure that saying hem go long bush inset long kev (‘he went to the bush inside the cave’) would produce only laughter for a reader or hearer.”

See also relieve oneself.

circumcise, circumcision

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The Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “circumcise” or “circumcision” in English (originally meaning of English term: “to cut around”) are (back-) translated in various ways:

  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “cut the flesh”
  • San Miguel El Grande Mixtec, Navajo (Dinė): “cut around”
  • Javanese: “clip-away”
  • Uab Meto: “pinch and cut” (usually shortened to “cut”)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun, Western Highland Purepecha: “put the mark”
  • Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “put the mark in the body showing that they belong to God” (or: “that they have a covenant with God”)
  • Indonesian: disunat — “undergo sunat” (sunat is derived from Arabic “sunnah (سنة)” — “(religious) way (of life)”)
  • Ekari: “cut the end of the member for which one fears shame” (in Gen. 17:10) (but typically: “the cutting custom”) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Cheke Holo: “peel for the purpose of making a sign” (source: Freddy Boswell in The Bible Translator 2009, p. 132ff. )
  • Hiri Motu: “cut the skin” (source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1079)
  • Garifuna: “cut off part of that which covers where one urinates”
  • Bribri: “cut the soft” (source for this and the one above: Ronald Ross)
  • Amele: deweg cagu qoc — “cut the body” (source: John Roberts)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “cut the flesh of the sons like Moses taught” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Newari: “put the sign in one’s body” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Central Mazahua: “sign in his flesh”
  • Hopi: “being cut in a circle in his body” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Mandarin Chinese: gēlǐ (割礼 / 割禮) or “rite of cutting” (Protestant); gēsǔn (割损 / 割損) or “cut + loss” (Catholic) (Source: Zetzsche)
  • Tibetan: mdun lpags gcod (མདུན་​ལྤགས་​གཅོད།), lit. “fore + skin + cut” (source: gSungrab website )
  • Kutu: “enter the cloth (=undergarments)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Cherokee: “de-head” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 33)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Circumcision .