second person pronoun with low register

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 show different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on Daniel 5:16

But: in some languages a rather strong contrastive conjunction like this will be required, because there is a contrast between the other “wise men” and Daniel. Moffatt, An American Translation, and Anchor Bible have “However.”

Give interpretations: literally “interpret interpretations,” where the verb and the noun have the same root. This is a common type of construction in Aramaic as in Hebrew, but it should not be imitated in other languages unless it is natural.

Solve problems: although the construction is a bit different from that in verse 12, the same Aramaic words are involved. They speak literally of “untying knots” but are intended in a figurative sense.

You shall be clothed: the three things offered to Daniel are the same as the rewards that would have been given to the other wise men in verse 7, if they had succeeded in explaining the mystery. But once again the passive construction will have to be made active in many languages.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .