forget

The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “forget” in English is translated in Noongar as dwangka-anbangbat, lit. “ear-lose.” (Source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

See also remember and forget (Japanese honorifics).

complete verse (Genesis 41:30)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 41:30:

  • Kankanaey: “Then seven other years of famine will take-their-place, and the good life in the preceding years will-be-forgotten, because this country will be entirely out-of (used-up-of) food.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “After that there will be another seven years of famine. Then there will be a crisis in the land from the famine. This will cause the earlier good time to be forgotten.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But then this will-be followed by seven years of famine, and the people will-forget their experience of abundance because the famine will-ravage/harm the land of Egipto.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “but after that there will be seven years of famine/when food will be very scarce. Then people will forget all the years when there was plenty of food, because the famine that will come afterward will ruin the country.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 41:30

But after them: that is, “then,” “after that,” or “following those years of plenty.”

All the plenty will be forgotten: all the plenty may be expressed as “the years of good crops” or “the years with plenty to eat.” Be forgotten may need to be expressed actively as “the people will forget….”

Famine will consume the land: this clause is the reason for forgetting the abundant years. The hunger and famine will be so great that people will not remember the time when they had plenty to eat. In many languages famine is called a “hungry time.” Consume, which is literally “eat,” means to destroy or ruin, or to afflict people. The land is not just the ground, soil, or earth, but refers more generally to the people and their country, which suggests both the political realm and its people. Consume the land is an expression that retains the images of the two dreams that the king had. If it is not possible to keep the figure, then an expression such as Good News Translation‘s “will ruin the country” will be useful.

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 .