brother (older brother)

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “brother” in English is translated in Kwere as sekulu, in Elhomwe as mbalaawo´, and in Mandarin Chinese as gēgē (哥哥), all “older brother.”

Note that Kwere also uses lumbu — “older sibling” in some cases. (Source for Kwere and Elhomwe: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext; Chinese: Jost Zetzsche)

In Lama it is translated as “older or younger brother.” (Source: Neal Brinneman)

See also older brother (Japanese honorifics).

brothers

“Brothers” has to be translated into Naro as “younger brothers and older brothers” (Tsáá qõea xu hẽé / naka tsáá kíí). All brothers are included this way, also because of the kind of plural that has been used. (Source: Gerrit van Steenbergen)

This also must be more clearly defined in Yucateco as older or younger (suku’un or Iits’in), but here there are both older and younger brothers. Yucateco does have a more general word for close relative, family member. (Source: Robert Bascom)

complete verse (Genesis 42:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 42:4:

  • Kankanaey: “So it was that Jose’s ten older-siblings went to Egipto to go buy what they would eat, because the famine had also become-severe in Canaan. But as for Benjamin who was his actual younger-sibling, Jacob did not give-permission that he go-along because he was-afraid lest there-be something-that-would-happen to him. When Jose’s siblings then arrived in Egipto, they joined the other collective-people to go buy-food-supplies.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Jacob, however, afraid that something might happen to him, did not send Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, with his elder brothers.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But Jacob did- not -have- Benjamin the younger sibling/(brother) of Jose -accompany (them) for he was-afraid that there might-be (something) bad that would-happen to him.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother, to go with the others, because he was afraid/worried that something terrible might happen to him like what happened to Joseph.” (Source: Translation for Translators)