complete verse (1 Kings 1:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 1:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “The young girl was very beautiful. She used to stay with the king and would take care of him. But the king did not sleep with (have sexual intercourse with) that young girl.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “She was very beautiful. She took care of the king and served him. The king, however, did not have intercourse with her.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Abishag was very beautiful, and she became the one-who-takes-care of the king. But the king never touched/(had-sexual-relations-with) her.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “She was truly very beautiful. She took care of the king, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

babbler

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The Greek in Acts 17:18 that is translated into English as “babbler” is translated in a number of different ways:

  • Fuyug: “birdbrain” (source: David Clark)
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “man who does not know how to close his mouth”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “much-talker man”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “loud-mouthed fellow”
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “person who does nothing but talk”
  • Morelos Nahuatl: “man who talks so much” (source for this and four above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Low German: “know-it-all” (Klooksnaker) (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006)
  • Hausa: “owner of noise” (source: Hausa Common Language Bible Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “boaster” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “guy know who talks out of his own thinking” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

For various English translations, see Translation commentary on Acts 17:18.

if God is for us

The Greek in Romans 8:31 that is translated as “if God is for us” in English is translated as

  • “if God is in fellowship with us” in Chicahuaxtla Triqui
  • “if God does not abandon us” in Miahuatlán Zapotec
  • “if God is united with us” in Yatzachi Zapotec
  • “God is the one who helps us” in Huehuetla Tepehua
  • “God himself loves us” in Teutila Cuicatec
  • “if God is in our favor” in Isthmus Zapotec
  • “if God is our helper” in Highland Totonac (source for this above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • “if God is ours” in Kupsabiny (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • “if God is on our side” in Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006
  • “we can say that God is really defending us” in Hiligaynon (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • “now we are friends with God” in Tenango Otomi (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • “if Above-One is the One who guards us” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004)

see a vision

The Greek in Luke 1:22 that is translated as “see(n) a vision” in English is sometimes translated generically, such as “to see something” (Sranan Tongo, Tae’), “something is made visible” (Western Apache), or “they knew, what he might have seen” (i.e. they knew that something had been seen but not what) (Shipibo-Conibo).

Elsewhere a specification is added, such as “to see a divine sight” (Kannada, Toraja-Sa’dan), “he had seen something supernatural, which had appeared to him” (Tboli) (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel), or “something God showed” in Hiligaynon (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation).

See also vision.

rock badger

The Hebrew that is translated as “rock badger” (or: “rock hyrax”) in English is translated in a West African language as “boulder goat.” (See this blog entry )

In Hiligaynon it is translated as “animals which chews again their cud/food/what-they-ate but their hooves do-not-have splitting, just-like a camel and a rabbit” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation).

See also hyrax.

music

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The Greek in Luke 15:25 that is translated in English as “music” is translated in Muna as “the sound of the gong and the drum.” René van den Berg explains: “There is no abstract word for ‘music’ (the footnote has the loan musik).”

In other languages it is translated as:

  • Noongar: “singing” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Mazagway: “the sound of singing”
  • Mofu-Gudur: “the sound of drumming” (source for this and above: Ken Hollingsworth)
  • Uma: “people playing flutes” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “playing-of-the-kulintang/gongs” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “drum” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “the sound of songs” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Hiligaynon: “sounds” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Burmese: “the sound of beating-blowing” (“‘Beating blowing’ is a general term for instrumental music and covers the sound of percussion instruments, wind and brass instruments which are blown, and some stringed instruments which are also ‘beaten.'” — source: Anonymous)

devout

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The Greek that is often translated in English as “devout” (or “pious”) is translated in various ways:

  • Lalana Chinantec: “[people who] revere God”
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “[people who] obey and worship God”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “[people who] remember God”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “worshipers of God”
  • Tzotzil: “[people who] are zealously doing what they think is God’s word”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “[people who] very much believe what they have been taught about God” (source for this and five above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Chichewa interconfessional translation, publ. 1999: “[people who] love God” (source: Wendland 1998, p. 90)
  • Uma: “[people who] submit to Lord God” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “very religious” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “[people who] are faithful in carrying out the commands of God” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “[people who] are serving God” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “[people who] are indeed devout-worshipers of God” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “[people who] respect God” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Kupsabiny: “[people who] have dedicated themselves to God” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • German: “God-fearing” (gottesfürchtig) or “pious” (fromm)
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “[people who] take their faith very seriously” (source for this and above: Zetzsche)
  • Hausa Common Language Bible: “owners of worshiping God” (source: Hausa Common Language Bible Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “godly” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

See also righteous / righteousness.

Sovereign Lord

The Greek that is translated in English as “Sovereign Lord” is translated as

  • “you who are Chief, you own all of us, truly you are God” in Chichimeca-Jonaz
  • “Big Father, you are God” in Isthmus Mixe
  • “my Lord who is the greatest” in Lalana Chinantec
  • “our Lord, he who is greatest before us” in Ayutla Mixtec
  • “you, Lord God, who is very great” in Tepeuxila Cuicatec
  • “you, the Lord able to do all things” in Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac
  • “God our Father, you are our Boss, the biggest” Tataltepec Chatino (source for this and all above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • “Lord, Owner of All Power” in Hausa (source: Hausa Common Language Bible Back Translation)
  • “Lord who is mightier than all” in Hiligaynon (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)