cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” (Source: Don Slager) Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Matumbi cardinal directions are defined as in relation to another place. “East” for instance typically is “toward the beach” since the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas. “North” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right.

complete verse (Genesis 41:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 41:27:

  • Kankanaey: “Furthermore the seven skinny cows and the seven heads-of-grain that wind scorched, (they are) seven years of famine.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The meaning of the thin cows that looked like skin and bones which came out later is also seven years. And the meaning of the seven thin heads of grain withered by the east wind is also seven years. This says that there will be seven years of famine.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The seven lean and ugly cows and the seven lean/thin heads-of-grain which (were)-hardened by the hot wind from the east means seven years of famine/hunger.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The seven thin ugly cows that came up behind them and the seven worthless heads of grain that were dried up by the hot east wind each represent seven years of famine/when food will be very scarce.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 41:27

ranslators will note that Revised Standard Version has empty [ears] and Good News Translation has “thin [heads of grain].” The reason for the difference is that the Hebrew word for “thin” has the letter ? “d,” which has been miscopied as ?, “r” (the two letters are very similar in shape in the Hebrew). See 14.14. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends “thin” as in Good News Translation. However, the meanings in this context are almost the same. Because seven … cows and seven … ears together represent seven years of famine, Good News Translation avoids the repetition of are [also] seven years.

For blighted by the east wind, see Gen 41.6.

For famine see 12.10.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .