speak into the air

The Greek in 1 Corinthians 14:9 that is translated as “speaking into the air” in many English versions is translated into Thai (Thai Common Language Version, 1985) with a similar pronoun: “speak the wind.”

complete verse (1 Corinthians 14:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 14:9:

  • Uma: “So also with you, relatives: if you speak with languages that others don’t know, who will know what you say? You will be like a person who is speaking to the wind.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Likewise also you when you speak but it isn’t clear/distinct the people will not know what you are saying. It is just like wind to their ears.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for you also, brothers, you are like someone who plays the kutiyapi or blows the trumpet, because if you speak in a language and no one understand it, there won’t be any value to what you say.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It’s the same with you. If you use words that cannot be understood, who perhaps will be able-to-understand what you are saying? Your words will be as if they are merely blown-by-the-wind.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, just like that, how will anyone know what you want to say if you are speaking different languages that they can’t understand? You would be like just talking to the air.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It is like this for you. If the people do not hear (i.e., understand) the word you speak, then how can they understand what you say? Without effect you will be speaking, no one will hear what you say.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:9

Paul moves now from illustrations to literal statements. Here and in verse 12, you is emphatic. The order of words in the Greek is a little strange, and the meaning is not entirely clear, either in Greek or in Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible. The difficulty, as often in Paul’s writings, arises because he is trying to say two things at once: (1) If you are speaking in a tongue, how will anyone be able to tell what you are saying? (2) How can anyone tell what you are saying if you do not give a clear message? The translator must avoid giving the impression that a message spoken in a “tongue” could of itself be distinct and intelligible. The implication, which Paul has expressed in verse 5, is that someone is needed to interpret whenever someone is speaking ecstatically.

Revised Standard Version‘s literal translation of the last part of the verse may seem to give the impression that all speaking is really speaking into the air. Good News Bible‘s expansion “your words will vanish in the air” gives the meaning more clearly. Many languages have similar idioms; for example, “speak the wind” (Thai Common Language Version).

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .