The Greek in Romans 1:18 that is translated as “suppress the truth” in English is translated as “will not permit other people to know what is true” in Yatzachi Zapotec as as “very much don’t want to hear the true words of God” in Huehuetla Tepehua. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
not submit to God's righteousness
The Greek in Romans 10:3 that is translated as “do not submit to God’s righteousness” is translated as “are not willing that God should make them good the way he wants” in Isthmus Zapotec, as “do not desire that only God should make them right doing” in Central Tarahumara, and as “don’t give their hearts to have them made straight by God” in Tzeltal. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
See also submit to God.
blaspheme, blasphemy
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “blasphemy” or “blaspheme” is translated in various forms:
- Panao Huánuco Quechua: “speak evil of God”
- Southern Bobo Madaré: “break God’s name”
- Loma: “spoil the name of God”
- Luvale: “insult God”
- Pamona and Malay: “slander God”
- Javanese and German: “defame God”
- Tae’: “bring curses (or “calamitous words”) against God”
- Uab Meto: “talk to pieces” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
- Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “treat God with contempt”
- Ojitlán Chinantec: “say bad words”
- Tenango Otomi: “don’t respect God with what one says”
- Navajo (Dinė): “say evil about God” (source for this and three above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
- Sochiapam Chinantec: “ugly words about God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
- San Mateo Del Mar Huave: “speak wickedly about God”
- Metlatónoc Mixtec: “talk disrespectfully about God” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
- Q’anjob’al: “that which hurts the high” (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
- Mam: xmayin ti’j Dios or “mockery against him-God” (source: Edward Sywulka in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 54ff. )
- Bacama: “spoil the name of God” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
- Chichewa chipongwe Mulungu. Chipwonge is used to refer to acts or derogatory remarks that dishonor another person. (Mulungu is the Chichewa word for “God.”) (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
vision
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin and Greek that is translated as “vision” in English is translated in a variety in the following languages:
- Chol: “as if in a dream” (source: Robert Bascom)
- Obolo: ilaak ọkpọchieen̄ or “dreaming awake” (source: Enene Enene)
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “a showing like dreams”
- Desano: “see in a dream what God will send”
- Rincón Zapotec: “see what God shows”
- Mayo: “see things from God as in a dream”
- Lalana Chinantec: “dream how it is going to be”
- Chuj: “like dreaming they see”
- San Mateo del Mar Huave: “understand what they see as if in a dream”
- Ayutla Mixtec: “see that which will happen” (source for this and seven above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
- Tagbanwa: “being caused to dream by God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Chichewa: azidzaona zinthu m’masomphenya: “they will see things as if face-to-face” (interconfessional translation, publ. 1999) (Source: Wendland 1998, p. 69)
- Mandarin Chinese: yì xiàng (异象 / 異象), lit. “different (or: strange) appearance.” (Source: Zetzsche)
The Greek in the books of Revelation and Acts is translated as obq-rmwible: “look-dream” in Natügu. Brenda Boerger (in Beerle-Moor / Voinov, p. 162ff.) tells the story of that translation: “In the book of Revelation, the author, John, talks about having visions. Mr. Simon [the native language translator] and I discussed what this meant and he invented the compound verb obq-rmwible ‘look-dream’ to express it. Interestingly, during village testing no one ever had to ask what this neologism meant.”
See also see a vision.
tent-maker
The Greek in Acts 18:3 that is translated as “tent-maker” in English is translated as “work of sewing heavy cloth to become cloth houses” in Teutila Cuicatec, “work to make the houses of canvas in order to sell” in San Mateo del Mar Huave, as “they made cloth houses to sell” in Morelos Nahuatl, or as “make big cloth houses” in Lalana Chinantec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
heartless
The Greek that is translated as “heartless” in English is translated as “don’t love their fellows” in Chicahuaxtla Triqui, as “don’t delight in people” in Hopi, and as “didn’t love like people should” in Huehuetla Tepehua. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
put on the armor of light
The Greek in Romans 13:12 that is translated as “put on the armor of light” or similar in English is translated as “do what we ought to do because God’s light had entered into our head-hearts” in Yatzachi Zapotec, as “walk in God’s light in order for him to take care of us” in Sayula Popoluca, as “let us have our manner of life towards God which is a new manner of life that we have. That way we will be guarding ourselves from evil” in Miahuatlán Zapotec, and as “do that which is good like that which is done in the light. Be like soldiers who are prepared to fight for what is right” in North Alaskan Inupiatun. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
See also put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
high priest
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “high priest” in English is translated in the following ways:
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “the ruler of the priests of our nation”
- Chol: “very great priest” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
- Ayutla Mixtec: “first over the priests”
- Desano: “chief of the priests” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.).
- Uma: “Big Priest” (source: Uma Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “high sacrificer” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa as “Most-important Priest of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Bariai: “Big leader of offerings” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
In Khoekhoe the translation for “high priest” is only capitalized when it refers to Jesus (as is Hebrews 2:17 et al.). (Source: project-specific notes in Paratext)
See also priest and chief priest.