Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 9:5:
Kupsabiny: “Then David sent people for the son of Jonathan to be called/summoned from the home of Makir in Lo-debar.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “So the king sent men and brought him from Lo-debar, from the house of Machir, son of Ammiel.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The king asked, ‘Where is he now?’ Ziba answered, ‘There at Lo Debar, in the house of Makir the child of Amiel.’ So David sent-someone to get him there.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So King David sent messengers to bring Mephibosheth to Jerusalem.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
The transition word Then reflects the common Hebrew conjunction, but the context seems to require a logical connector showing that David’s action was based on what he had learned from Ziba.
Sent and brought: these two verbs may in some cases be translated by a single verb. The idea is to send someone to bring another person back. Other languages may say “sent someone to get him” or “sent a message to tell him to come.” In the following verse he did indeed come to David.
The repetition of the information in the previous verse may be considered heavy or awkward. It may then be omitted as in Good News Translation. But if the information is repeated, the same advice regarding structure in the previous verse will apply here.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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