The term that is transliterated as “Joseph” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that relates to a) the coat he wore (see Gen 37:3), b) the holding of his clothes by Potiphar’s wife (see Gen 39:12), and c) the many times Joseph experienced grief. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Joseph” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies “dream,” referring to Jacob’s dream at Bethel (see Genesis 28:10 and the following verses). (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The term that is transliterated as “Canaan” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign loosely referencing the act of hiding/covering one’s face in shame. The association of “shame” with the name “Canaan” comes from Genesis 9, specifically verse 9:25. This sign was adapted from a similar sign in Kenyan Sign Language (see here). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Canaan” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Canaan in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
“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)
The term that is used for monarchs in ancient Egypt and is transliterated as “Pharaoh” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the sign signifying the “fake metal beard (postiche)” that was word by Pharaohs during official functions. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 45:17:
Kankanaey: “and the king said to Jose, ‘Tell your (sing.) siblings that they are to load their animals to return to Canaan” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “Pharaoh said to Joseph — ‘Tell your brothers to load their donkeys and go back to Canaan.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The king said to Jose, ‘You tell your siblings/(brothers) that they should-load their animals with food and return to Canaan.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “The king said to Joseph, ‘Tell your brothers this: ‘Put loads of grain on your animals and return to the Canaan region.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Do this: the king expects Joseph to carry out his orders to the letter and to say to the brothers exactly what the king says to Joseph. Good News Translation and others prefer to make these instructions to the brothers indirect speech: “Tell your brothers to….” Translators should use the form that is most natural in their own language. We may translate Do this as “Here is what I want you [plural] to do,” “You [plural] must do like this,” or “This is what you [plural] must do.”
Load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan: beasts generally refers to any animal of burden such as a camel, ox, or donkey. In this context it probably refers to donkeys. See 42.26; 43.18; 44.3. In some languages it will be necessary to indicate what is to be loaded on the donkeys; for example, “Load your donkeys with grain.”
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 .
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