The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” or “brother and sister” (in the sense of fellow believers), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)
In Matumbi is is translated as alongo aumini or “relative-believer.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translated as Mitchristen or “fellow Christians.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 4:12:
Uma: “Galatian relatives! I request that you do follow my behavior. For although I am a Yahudi person, I have let-go-of following the Yahudi customs so I could become like you who are not Yahudi people. Your treatment of me the other day [lit., yesterday] was very good.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “My brothers who trust in Isa Almasi, I ask/petition you, you should be like I am, because since I trusted Isa, I no longer trust in the law of the Yahudi religion. But I am like you the not Yahudi. And you have no sin towards me but/instead you treated me well/cared well for me before.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Brethren, I beg you that you behave as I behave; because as for me, a Jew, I abandoned my observing the Law of the Jews. I became like you were long who are not Jews. It’s really true that you have not sinned against me but rather, you took good care of me.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Please-be-so-kind (strong request) brothers as to follow-my -example, because I have become like you Gentiles who are free from the law of Moses. How you acted toward me back then was certainly not bad.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I implore you, my brethren, be like me, in that I am now outside/released from the jurisdiction of the laws of my former religion. Was it not so that in the past I became like you non Jews who were not under the jurisdiction of the laws of us (excl.) Jews? Not that I bear any grudge (lit.have rust in my mind/inner-being) against you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Listen my dear brethren, you must do like I do in that I don’t now follow the customs of the Jews. I do like you did at first. I don’t tell you that you have despised me for what I have done.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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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).
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, natte (なって) or “become” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
This personal section starts appropriately with I beg you, my brothers. Two things should be noted: (1) in the Greek, this stands at the end of the sentence, thus giving it added emphasis; (2) the verb used occurs only five other times in Paul’s letters, and in four cases it connotes intense longing on Paul’s part. In a number of languages the rendering of I beg you in this type of context may be translated as “I strongly ask you,” “I urge you with pleading,” or, expressed idiomatically in some languages, “I speak to you with my heart exposed.”
The appeal be like me. After all, I am like you is capable of various interpretations (Phillips “I do beg you to follow me here … I am a man like yourselves”; Knox “stand by me: I have taken stand with you”; New English Bible “put yourselves in my place, my brothers, I beg you, for I have put myself in yours”). The whole appeal is connected with Paul’s attitude toward the Law. Most likely he is exhorting the Galatians to imitate him in abandoning the Law as a means of being reconciled to God. In other words, although Paul was a Jew, he has become like the Galatians, that is, as a Gentile, free from the clutches of the Law. That he regarded himself as outside the Law is clear from 1 Corinthians 9.20-21.
It is extremely difficult in some languages to express an obscure meaning such as be like me. One must usually employ a more specific meaning, for example, “behave like I do,” “look like I do,” or “believe as I do.” In other words, imitation is often restricted to specific kinds of activity. If, as seems quite clear, the emphasis here is upon Paul’s specific relation to the Law, it may be necessary in some languages to say “make a break with the Law, even as I have,” “do not be subservient to the Law, even as I am not,” or, perhaps, “as far as the Law is concerned, be like me.”
You have not done me any wrong is capable of various interpretations. Among them are (1) you have not done me any wrong in the past, but now you do; (2) you have not done me any wrong in the past, so don’t start now; (3) it is true, as you have said, that you did me no wrong when I was with you; it is not true, however, that you are not doing me any wrong now; (4) you have not wronged me, it is Christ whom you have wronged; (5) you have not wronged me, it is yourselves whom you have wronged; (6) I have no ground for complaining about your conduct (compare Phillips “I have nothing against you personally”). Of these possible meanings the first and the third seem to fit the context best. Since we do not know the specific circumstances of which Paul speaks, it is impossible to tell precisely what he means by the statement You have not done me any wrong. Again, it is not possible to be obscure in some languages with regard to such a meaning, and it may be necessary to choose one of the possible interpretations. For example, one may say “In the past you did nothing bad to me,” “… you did nothing to cause me harm,” or “… to cause me trouble.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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