complete verse (2 Corinthians 10:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 10:9:

  • Uma: “So, wait for my arrival, so that there won’t be anyone who says that I’m just scaring you with my harsh letters.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I am saying this so that you don’t think/say that I want to frighten you with my letters.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I don’t want to frighten you by means of this letter.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I said this so you won’t say/think that I am trying to frighten you by my letters.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “You should not think that my letters to you are just to scare (you).” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Do not think that I send the letter in order to speak strong to you.” (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 2 Corinthians 10:9

I would not seem to be frightening you: as the Good News Translation rendering indicates, this is no tentative observation on the part of Paul. Rather it shows clearly that he wanted to avoid any appearance of trying to cause fear in the Corinthians by writing letters. New Revised Standard Version says “I do not want to seem as though I am trying to frighten you with my letters.” Another model is “I do not want you to get the idea that I am the kind of person who would try to scare you…” (Barclay).

As verse 10 makes clear, letters are letters from Paul sent to the Corinthians. Translators may want to make this clear by adding the word “my” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .