boat, ship

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated “boat” or “ship” in English is translated in Chichimeca-Jonaz as “that with which we can walk on water” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.), in Chitonga as a term in combination with bwato or “dugout canoe” (source: Wendland 1987, p. 72), and in Tangale as inj am or “canoe-of water” (inj — “canoe” — on its own typically refers to a traditional type of carved-out log for sleeping) (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).

In Kouya it is translated as ‘glʋ ‘kadʋ — “big canoe.”

Philip Saunders (p. 231) explains how the Kouya team arrived at that conclusion:

“Acts chapter 27 was a challenge! It describes Paul’s sea voyage to Italy, and finally Rome. There is a storm at sea and a shipwreck on Malta, and the chapter includes much detailed nautical vocabulary. How do you translate this for a landlocked people group, most of whom have never seen the ocean? All they know are small rivers and dugout canoes.

“We knew that we could later insert some illustrations during the final paging process which would help the Kouya readers to picture what was happening, but meanwhile we struggled to find or invent meaningful terms. The ‘ship’ was a ‘big canoe’ and the ‘passengers’ were ‘the people in the big canoe’; the ‘crew’ were the ‘workers in the big canoe’; the ‘pilot’ was the ‘driver of the big canoe’; the ‘big canoe stopping place’ was the ‘harbour’, and the ‘big canoe stopping metal’ was the ‘anchor’!”

In Lokạạ it is translated as ukalangkwaa, lit. “English canoe.” “The term was not coined for the Bible translation, but rather originated in colonial times when the English arrived in Nigeria on ships. The indigenous term for a canoe was modified to represent the large, ocean-going ship of the English.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

See also ships of Tarshish, harbor, anchor, and sailor.

tackle

The Greek in Acts 27:19 that is translated as “tackle” in English is translated as “things that do the work of the boat” in Rincón Zapotec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

complete verse (Acts 27:19)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 27:19:

  • Uma: “The day after that, the workers on the ship threw the equipment of the ship into the sea.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “On the third day, they threw some of the equipment of the ship dropping it into the sea.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And on the next day after that, even the tools and the things that the workers there on the ship used, they threw those in also.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “On the third day (lit. its third), they also threw-away what was used on the ship that could-be-hefted.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When it was now the third day, what the sailors were now throwing away was their geer/equipment for the ship.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 27:19

As in the Good News Translation, so in Greek, verses 18 and 19 are one sentence. On the following day (New English Bible “next day”) is literally “on the third day.”

The ship’s equipment is the same word rendered sail in verse 17; in both cases the word perhaps renders a technical term, the meaning of which is lost. Other translations render this either as “the ship’s tackle” or “the ship’s gear.” In some languages the ship’s equipment would simply be rendered as “the ropes, sails, and poles.” However, one must note that it would be wrong to say that all of the equipment was thrown overboard, since in verse 29 there is a reference to four anchors, and in verse 40 a reference to a sail that was placed at the front of the ship. It may therefore be necessary to say: “part of the ship’s equipment” or “some of the ship’s sails, ropes and poles.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 27:19

27:19

On the third day: This would refer to the day after the one mentioned in 27:18b. For example:

A day later (Good News Translation)

they threw the ship’s tackle overboard:
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tackle probably refers to the gear needed to move heavy cargo in and out of a ship, and other equipment for normal work on a sailing ship. They did not throw all the gear overboard, because they later used more anchors (27:29) and a sail (27:40). Other ways to translate this phrase are:

they threw out the ship’s equipment (New Century Version)
-or-
they threw the ship’s gear overboard (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
they threw off the ship most of the ship’s equipment ⌊for moving cargo⌋

with their own hands: This phrase indicates that the sailors chose to throw the tackle overboard. It probably implies that they were afraid that the ship might sink. The Contemporary English Version uses an idiom that implies they were desperate here:

with their bare hands (Contemporary English Version)

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