leaven

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “leaven” (or “yeast”) in English is translated in Tzotzil as “the thing that swells the stomach of bread” and in Mairasi “bread cooking ingredient” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

In the occurrences in Mark 8:15 it is translated in Wantoat as “salt.” (Source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)

See also leaven (1Cor 5:6).

complete verse (Exodus 12:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 12:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those things that rises bread should not be in the house of any person for seven days. Anyone who eats anything that has risen, will be chased away from the people of Israel, whether a foreigner who has been adopted as our relative or being your own/native.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “For seven days there must not be yeast in your homes. Whoever eats anything with yeast in it be it an Israelite or a foreigner he will be cast out from the community of Israel.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Within-a-period-of/[lit. inside-of] seven days, there should not be-found any of that-which-causes-to-expand in your (plur.) houses. Anyone who eats bread that does have that-which-causes-to-expand, either foreigner or native-born of Israel, are- not -to-be-considered under-the-jurisdiction of the community of Israel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “On these seven days, yis can’t/mustn’t be existing in your houses. And if anyone of you, or any man from another area who is living in your midst eats anything having yis existing in it, you must dissociate with him so that he goes far away from you Israel people.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And they must not yeast find at house your during days seven those. And one who will eat that which has yeast, even though he be foreigner, even though he be child of place your, let them not him again count in people of Israel.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “In the first month of the year, on the 14th day of that month, the only bread you may eat is bread that has no yeast in it. You must keep doing that each day until the 21st day of that month. For those seven days you must not have any yeast in your house. During that time, if anyone, either an Israeli or a foreigner, eats bread made with yeast, you must consider that person no longer to be an Israeli.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on Exod 12:19 - 12:20

Verse 19 repeats much of what is said in verse 15. For seven days has already been specified. No leaven shall be found, literally “leaven will not be found,” may be expressed as “no yeast is to be found” (New International Version), “no leaven may be found” (New American Bible), or “no leaven must be found” (Revised English Bible). One may also translate “no yeast is allowed in anyone’s home,” or even “you must not allow any yeast in anyone’s home.” If any one eats what is leavened is almost identical with verse 15, the only difference being the form of the noun. (New Revised Standard Version tries to reflect this slight difference, with “what is leavened” for “leavened bread.”) Cut off from the congregation of Israel adds the word congregation to the phrase in verse 15. (See verse 3.)

Whether he is a sojourner refers to a “resident alien” (New American Bible, Translator’s Old Testament). “Stranger” or “foreigner” may give the wrong idea here, for the sojourner was often one who had taken up residence among people not his own (see 2.22 and the comment). Or a native of the land is the alternative to sojourner. In this case, since these verses reflect the later Israelite community, the land does not refer to Egypt. (As explained in the introductory remarks to this chapter, these detailed instructions for ritual observance were inserted into the basic narrative of the exodus long after the Israelites had settled in the Promised Land.) So native means “native-born,” “an Israelite by birth” (Translator’s Old Testament), or “native Israelites” (Contemporary English Version).

Verse 20 also repeats what is said in verse 19. The only new word here is dwellings, which means the same as “houses.” Good News Translation avoids the repetition by combining verses 19 and 20. This tendency to repeat what has already been said adds emphasis to the instructions, but it should be avoided if it sounds unnatural in the receptor language.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .