The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is usually translated into English as “peace,” when referring to one’s inner peace, is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:
“rest the heart” (Central Mazahua) / “rest within” (Lacandon) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40 and 128ff.) / “wait well in your heart” (Yatzachi Zapotec) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” or “brother and sister” (in the sense of fellow believers), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)
In Matumbi is is translated as alongo aumini or “relative-believer.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translated as Mitchristen or “fellow Christians.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 15:33:
Uma: “For several nights they stayed in Antiokhia, and after that they sent them off back to Yerusalem. The people of Antiokhia said, saying to Silas and Yudas: ‘Be careful on the road. [the traditional way of saying good-bye] Please give our (excl.) greetings to the apostles of the Lord Yesus who send you here.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “When Judas and company had been there for a long while, they were sent home by the ones trusting Isa there. ‘May you have a good journey, without mishap,’ they said. So-then Judas and company returned to those who had sent them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the people from Jerusalam, after they had spent how many days there, they returned to the ones who sent them. The believers took leave of them by saying, ‘May your journey go well.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “They stayed there a slightly-long time, then the believers sent-them-off saying, ‘May God take-care-of you where-you -are-going.’ Then they returned to Jerusalem which was the location of those who had sent them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Those taga Jerusalem were quite a while there in Antioquia, and then they returned to those who had sent them. On their leaving, they were given-for-the-journey by the taga Antioquia words that hopefully they would arrive without incident and with a happy mind.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The temporal expression some time should probably be interpreted in terms of several weeks. It is surely not a matter of hours or days and certainly should not be interpreted as years. If it is necessary to specify, one can introduce the concept of weeks.
In peace represents a salutation common to the Jews (see Luke 7.50; 8.48); the Jerusalem Bible translates “(the brothers) wished them peace.” In peace may be in some languages merely the equivalent of “wished them a good journey” or “sent them off with their blessings.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.