testify falsely

The Hebrew that is translated as “testify falsely” or similar in English is translated in Kupsabiny as “tie words on people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)

witness

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and and Greek that is translated as “witness” in English is translated in these ways:

  • “truly have seen” in Highland Popoluca
  • “telling the truth regarding something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something” in Lalana Chinantec
  • “verily know something to be the truth” in San Mateo del Mar Huave
  • “we ourselves saw this” in Desano
  • “tell the truth about something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something is true because of seeing it” in Teutila Cuicatec (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • “ones who will confirm that these-things that you have seen are true” in Kankanaey (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • “ones who are to testify about these things, because it all happened before your eyes” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Deuteronomy 19:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 19:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “The judges need to consider those words carefully. If it is seen/discovered that the person who complained about the other man made a false accusation,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Judges must make a careful examination. If it happens that the opinion spoken by the person who gave witness was false information, and if it is decided that the witness gave false witness against that person,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The judges must investigate it thoroughly/[lit. good]. And if (it is) proven that a witness is-lying by slandering his fellowman,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The judges must investigate the case carefully/try to find out which one is telling the truth. If the judges determine that one of them has accused the other falsely,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 19:18

The judges shall inquire diligently: the judges are to investigate the matter thoroughly; they are to interrogate the two people closely.

Accused his brother falsely: again, brother here is simply the other Israelite, without any indication of family relationship. New Revised Standard Version “testified falsely against another,” or Good News Translation “and if the man has made a false accusation against his fellow Israelite.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .