from there they sailed

The Greek that is translated as “from there they sailed” or similar in English is translated more specifically in Isthmus Mixe. Here it says “they entered a boat at the edge of the sea.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

straight / vertical

In Gbaya, the notion of being straight or vertical is emphasized in the referenced verses with the ideophone zééŋ (or: zéŋ).

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

complete verse (Acts 16:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 16:11:

  • Uma: “We(excl.) left Troas, boarding a ship going to the island of Samotrake, and the next day went to the town of Neapolis.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (excl.) sailed from Toroas proceeding towards Samotarake island. The following day, we (excl.) sailed also from that island towards Neapolis.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We got on a ship at Troas and we went to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we continued and landed there in the town of Neapolis.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “We (excl.) set-out at Troas, and we (excl.) rode-in a ship that went-directly to Samotracia. The next-day, then we (excl.) went-on to Neapolis.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When we (excl.) found what (we) could sail in, we (excl.) then set sail. From Troas, (we) went straight to the island of Samotracia, and then next day continued on to Neapolis.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 16:11)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

Translation commentary on Acts 16:11

We left by ship translates a technical term which means “to put out to sea.” Evidently they had a favorable wind behind them because they sailed straight across to Samothrace. Samothrace was an island about 38 miles from Troas; it was half way between Troas and Neapolis, the port city of Philippi, which was about 10 miles south of Philippi.

In some languages very careful distinctions are made in terms for sailing or going by ship. One verb may stipulate going from a mainland to an island, while another is used to describe travel from an island to the mainland. It is important in a passage such as this to employ a proper set of terms so as to coincide with the geographical relationships.

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 .