The Greek in Colossians 4:11 that is translated into English as “Jesus, whose other name is Justus” is translated into Banaro as “a ground (earthly) man whose name is Jesus, whose other name is Justus.”
“The translation introduced the next person as ‘a ground (earthly) man whose name is Jesus, whose other name is Justus.’ ‘Ground man’ is a term that we have used previously to refer to people of the earth, usually with the connotation of ‘sinful people.’ I could not figure out why Samuel had characterized a companion of Paul in this way so I asked the checkers, ‘Why is the word ‘ground’ in there?’ I got a look that said, ‘Are you really that stupid?’ then the explanation, ‘The man’s name is Jesus. If we don’t tell people that he is a ‘ground man,’ people will be confused and think that Paul is talking about Jesus, God’s son.’ Okay, I never thought about it that way but it does make sense.'”
In Mandarin Chinese, in the Protestant tradition the name “Jesus” in this verse is transliterated with a different character for the second syllable: yé shù (耶数 / 耶數) to prevent confusion. Note that the Catholic tradition uses the same transliteration for both: Yēsū (耶稣) (Source: Zetzsche)
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that depicts the number 3 (he was one of three helpers during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome) and “justice” (the meaning of justus). (Source: Missão Kophós )
The name that is transliterated as “Ampliatus” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that suggests “enlarge,” the meaning of the name. (Source: Missão Kophós )
The name that is transliterated as “Dalmanutha” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that signifies “slow fire” (the meaning of the name). (Source: Missão Kophós )
The name that is transliterated as “Colossae” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that combines the signs for “monstrous” (the meaning of the name) and the concept of wool, which was a widely traded material in this region. (Source: Missão Kophós )
The name that is transliterated as “Azotus” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that depicts “protection” (a possible meaning of the name and the fact that as a port city it gave protection to many sailors). With the right hand the geographical shape of the coast is shown. (Source: Missão Kophós )
