The Greek that is often translated in English as “end of the age” or “end of the world” is translated in Amele as “the end of the world time,” in Dobel as “the end of the world as it is now,” and in Luwo as” Day of God’s judgement” (in Matt. 13:39-40) or “as the end of the present world/earth” (in Matt. 13:49; 24:3 and 28:20). (Sources: Joseph Modesto (Luwo), John Roberts (Amele), Jock Hughes (Dobel))
In the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) it is translated as “the complete end (or: “the very end”) of the world time” (das Voll-Ende der Weltzeit).
The Hebrew that is translated in English as “light” is translated in Newari as “white light.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
In Tenharim the translation is mytuêa or “open/clear space.” LaVera Betts (in: Notes on Translation, September 1971, p. 16ff.) explains: “According to Catarina, the chief’s wife, the moon is a woman and the stars, also considered snails, are her children. In Gen 1:14, therefore, ‘the lights in the firmament of heaven’ is translated literally ‘the lamps/illuminating things on the heaven’ to eliminate the idea of the moon, etc. being animate. To express the idea of light (Gen. 1:3), then, without the presence yet of the sun, moon, or stars, the term open/clear space: mytuêa, was used. Neither the heavenly bodies nor artificial lights nor their obvious rays have to be seen in order for this term to be appropriate. It is a term indicating merely the opposite of no light, that is, the opposite of darkness; and since there were no objects to fill in the space, it still is true in the other sense of the term. Other terms meaning light involved the presence of the sun, moon, stars, or artificial lighting.”
In Idoma, the normal word for “light” is “fire,” so ofíajɛ or “shining” was used instead (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
The Hebrew in Genesis 1:2 that is translated as “formless (and) void” in some English translations is translated in Mwera as “not moulded properly.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
In Takwane it is translated as “(That earth was) not good/beautiful (in state/form), nor did it have anything” (source: Jeff Shrum) and in Amele as “chaotic, empty and useless” (source: John Roberts).
Targum Neofiti translates it in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic as “(And the earth was) void and formless, desolate from humans and animals alike. It was empty of all planted vegetation and trees.” Targumim (or: Targums) are translations of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. They were translated and used when Jewish congregations increasingly could not understand the biblical Hebrew anymore. Targum Neofiti is the largest of the Aramaic translation of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible). (Source )
The Greek in Acts 27:14 that is translated as “But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster (or: Euroclydon), rushed down from Crete” or similar in English is translated in a lot of different ways:
Upper Guinea Crioulo: “A great storm rose up on the side of the island that came against them.” (“The point wasn’t the name of the wind [nor’easter]. All of these nautical terms can be difficult for people who aren’t seafaring. The point wasn’t so much which cardinal direction the wind was coming from. The point was that the wind was coming from a direction that made it impossible for them to go in the direction they wanted to go. This is further explained in the following verse.”) (Source: David Frank)
Caluyanun: “Not long-afterward, the wind from the aminhan/northeast got-strong, which was from the land-area of the island of Crete.” (“’Aminhan’ is the common direction of the wind during half the year.”) (Source: Kermit Titrud)
Northern Emberá: “But soon a bad wind called the Euroclidon blew forcefully from the right hand.” (“When we have to specify north and south we use left hand and right hand, respectively. But in Acts 27:14, the Northeaster wind comes from the right, hitting the right side of the ship as they headed west.”) (Source: Chaz Mortensen)
Amele: “But shortly a strong wind called Jawalti blowing from the direction of the sun coming up to the left came up.” (“East is cam tobec isec ‘the direction the sun comes up’ and west is cam tonec/nec isec ‘the direction the sun goes/comes down.’ ‘Jawalti’ is a local name for the wind that blows down from the north coast of Madang. ‘Sea corner’ is the Amele term for ‘harbour‘”) (Source: John Roberts)
Mairasi: “But after not a very long time at all already a very big wind blew from behind us. In Greek that wind is called ‘Eurokulon’ from over there in the north and east. It blew down from that island itself.” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
Kankanaey: “But it wasn’t long, a swift wind arrived from the upper-part of Creta.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And it wasn’t a long time from then, we were typhooned. A very strong wind arrived which was called Abagat. The wind came from the direction of the land.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But before we had been sailing for long, suddenly/unexpectedly the wind changed again to an off-shore wind of tremendous strength. Euraclidon was what the people from there called that wind.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Uma: “But in fact not long after that, a big wind came from the land, a wind called Sea Storm.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But not long after, a very strong wind blew from the coast.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
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:
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)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 7:36:
Noongar: “A Pharisee invited Jesus to eat and drink with him. And Jesus went to his house to eat and drink.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “There was a Parisi person, named Simon, called Yesus to eat at his house. Yesus really went to his house, they sat and ate.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “One day Isa was brought by one of the Pariseo to his house to eat. Isa went and sat down soon to eat.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there was there a Pharisee person who invited Jesus to eat in his house, and Jesus went. And when Jesus arrived there he sat down to eat.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “One day, there was a Pharisee named Simon who invited Jesus to eat-with (him) at his house. So Jesus went and sat-down-with (whoever was there) to eat.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “One day Jesus was invited by a Pariseo to eat at his house. Without anything further, Jesus went with him to eat there.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Amele: “And then a Farisi man came in the afternoon/evening and asked Jisas to eat food with him. Jisas went to his house and sat to eat food.” (Source: John Roberts in this article )
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 4:8:
Uma: “After that the King of Evil-ones again carried Yesus going to the top of a very tall mountain, and he showed him all the kingdoms on earth and all of their wealth.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “After that he was taken/brought by the leader of demons on top of a very high mountain. The leader of demons showed him all the countries of the world and their wealth/riches and the power of their leaders.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain, and he showed him all the kingdoms of all the world and what was the extent and power of each one.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When that was done, then the Diablo directed him to a very-high mountain and showed him all the nations in this world and their richness.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When Satanas observed that, the summit of a very high mountain is where he next took Jesus. And then he caused him to view all the kingdoms of the world and their praiseworthiness/glory.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “The devil then took him to where there was a large mountain. He caused him to look upon all the nations there are all over the world. And he looked at all the good things there were in them.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Bariai: “And when it was done, then the bad man took him so that he went and then they ascended a very high mountain. And then he showed him the big areas of all the great chiefs of the earth and their good things.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Kupsabiny: “That Enemy again took Jesus to the top of a certain mountain and showed him the wealth in all the nations.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Mairasi: “And then also the malevolent spirit taking Yesus went to the top of a very tall mountain and then showed Him all the power of the kings here in this world and then all their good things” (Source Enggavoter 2004)
Amele: “And then Seten again took Jisas and took (him) and went up and put him on a big mountain. He put him and while showing him the wonderful things of all the kingdoms of the ground told him,” (Source: John Roberts in this article )
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 7:37:
Noongar: “In that town, a badly behaved woman lived. She heard of Jesus eating and drinking inside the house of the Pharisee. So she got a jar, full of perfume,” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “In that town, there was a woman sinner, her actions were immoral/not appropriate. When she heard that Yesus was there eating in the house of that Parisi person, she came carrying a bottle containing fragrant oil.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Na, there was a woman in that town known as a sinner. When that woman knew that Isa was there in the house of that Pariseo to eat, she went there carrying valuable fragrant oil. It’s container was made of alabaster stone.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And in that town there was a woman whose reputation was bad, and when this woman learned that Jesus was eating there in the house of the Pharisee, she went there carrying a white allibaster stone bottle which was filled with fragrant perfume which was very expensive.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “In that town, there was a woman who was a prostitute (lit. the storying-about-whom was bad). When she heard that Jesus was there joining-in-eating in the house of the Pharisee, she went there taking-along a bottle made of alabastro (Ilo. loan) filled-with perfume.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, there in that town there was a woman who was known by everyone to be sinful. She heard news that Jesus was there in the house of that Pariseo, gone to eat there. When she knew that Jesus was there, she went there, taking a far-from-ordinary container full of perfume.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Amele: There a woman sat in the taun. She [was] a sinful woman. And then she heard that Jisas was eating food in the house of the Farisi man. Therefore she took a small gourd full of very good smelling coconut oil and went.” (Source: John Roberts in this article )
