mourn

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).

Sabbath

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “Sabbath” in English is rendered as “day we rest” in Tzotzil, in Mairasi as “Jew’s Rest Day,” in Quiotepec Chinantec as “day when people of Israel rested,” in Shilluk as “day of God,” in Obolo as Usen Mbuban or “Holy Day,” and in Mandarin Chinese as ānxírì (安息日) or “rest day” (literally: “peace – rest – day”). (Sources: Tzotzil: Marion Cowan in Notes on Translation with Drill, p. 169ff; Mairasi: Enggavoter 2004; Quiotepec Chinantec: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.; Shilluk: Nida 1964, p. 237; Obolo: Enene Enene; Chinese: Jost Zetzsche)

In Matumbi it is translated as Sabato ya Ayahudi or “Sabbath of the Jews,” to distinguish it from the Islamic Sabbath (which is Friday) or the Christian Sabbath (which is Sunday). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

In the old Khmer version as well as in the first new translation this term was rendered as “day of rest” (Thngai Chhup Somrak / ​ថ្ងៃ​ឈប់​សំរាក). Considered inadequate to convey its religious meaning (not only about cessation of work, but also in honor of Yahweh as the Creator), the committee for the Today’s Khmer Version (publ. 2005) decided to keep the Hebrew word and use its transliterated form Thgnai Sabath (​ថ្ងៃ​សប្ប័ទ). “The Buddhist word Thngai Seil ‘day of merits’ used by some Catholics was once under consideration but was rejected because it did not receive unanimous support.” (Source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 233ff. )

In Spanish, the translation is either día de reposo (“day of rest”) or sábado (usually: “Saturday,” derived from the Greek and Hebrew original). Nida (1947, p. 239f.) explains that problem for Spanish and other languages in its sphere of influence: “In translation ‘Sabbath’ into various aboriginal languages of Latin America, a considerable number of translators have used the Spanish sábado, ‘Saturday,’ because it is derived from the Hebrew sabbath and seems to correspond to English usage as well. The difficulty is that sábado means only ‘Saturday’ for most people. There is no religious significance about this word as the is with ‘Sabbath’ in English. Accordingly the [readers] cannot understand the significance of the persecution of Jesus because he worked on ‘Saturday.’ It has been found quite advantageous to use the translation ‘day of rest,’ for this accurately translated the Hebrew meaning of the term and resolves the problem in connection with the prohibitions placed upon some types of activities.”

In French Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts closing of the blinds of a store:


“Sabbath” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Sabbath .

sanctuary

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “sanctuary” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) with opatulika or “separated place.” This is understood in a religious setup as a place designated for worship. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Maccabees 1:39

Her sanctuary became desolate as a desert: Her sanctuary refers to the Temple in Jerusalem (see verse 21). The Greek word for desert refers to a mostly dry, barren area. For desolate as a desert, Good News Bible has “empty as a wilderness,” and Contemporary English Version says “barren just like a desert.” These renderings are good ways to speak of a desolate building. For languages where deserts are unknown, translators may say “empty like a land where there is no life or water.” This line contrasts nicely with the following two, which deal with occasions when one would expect the Temple to be full of people.

Her feasts were turned into mourning: The festivals in Jerusalem became times of mourning (compare Amos 8.10). Her feasts refers to the Jewish religious holidays, which would include the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths/Shelters. The focus here is on the expected happiness at these feasts, not on their food. They should have been joyful occasions, but they were turned into mourning, which may be rendered “became days when everyone mourned.” An alternative model for the whole line is “Jerusalem’s feasts [or, festivals/fiestas] became days when everyone mourned.”

Her sabbaths into a reproach: The verb turned in the previous line is implied here and in the next line. The sabbath was the Jewish day of rest, the seventh day of the week. Good News Bible adds “joy” to give “Sabbath” the proper connotation. There was no need to say “joyous festivals” in the preceding line since a festival is always considered a happy occasion. Reproach may be rendered “shame” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version) or perhaps better, “mockery” (New Jerusalem Bible, Goldstein). An alternative model for this line is “her joyous days of rest became days of shame.” The Sabbath and its ceremonies were at the heart of the Jewish religion, but the invaders interpreted the Sabbath customs as contemptible, if not ridiculous. They treated the Jews’ most holy day as something disgraceful.

Her honor into contempt: The meaning here is not that Jerusalem’s “honor became an object of ridicule” (Good News Bible), but rather, that whereas once she was honored, now she was held in contempt. The contempt is in place of honor. So we may say “The city, once honored, was now scorned [or, held in contempt],” “The city that people once honored was now scorned,” or even “Once people honored Jerusalem, but now they scorned the city.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.