salvation

The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated with “salvation” (or “deliverance”) in English is translated in the following ways:

  • San Blas Kuna: “receive help for bad deeds” (“this help is not just any kind of help but help for the soul which has sinned)
  • Northwestern Dinka: “help as to his soul” (“or literally, ‘his breath'”) (source for this and the one above: Nida 1952, p. 140)
  • Central Mazahua: “healing the heart” (source: Nida 1952, p. 40)
  • Tzeltal: col: “get loose,” “go free,” “get well” (source: Marianna C. Slocum in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 49f. )
  • Aari: “the day our Savior comes” (in Rom 13:11) (source: Loren Bliese)

in Mairasi its is translated as “life fruit” or “life fruit all mashed out.” Lloyd Peckham explains: “In secret stories, not knowable to women nor children, there was a magical fruit of life. If referred to vaguely, without specifying the specific ‘fruit,’ it can be an expression for eternity.” And for “all masked out” he explains: “Bark cloth required pounding. It got longer and wider as it got pounded. Similarly, life gets pounded or mashed to lengthen it into infinity. Tubers also get mashed into the standard way of serving the staple food, like the fufu of Uganda, or like poi of Hawaii. It spreads out into infinity.” (See also eternity / forever)

In Lisu a poetic construct is used for this term. Arrington (2020, p. 58f.) explains: “A four-word couplet uses Lisu poetic forms to bridge the abstract concrete divide, an essential divide to cross if Christian theology is to be understood by those with oral thought patterns. Each couplet uses three concrete nouns or verbs to express an abstract term. An example of this is the word for salvation, a quite abstract term essential to understanding Christian theology. To coin this new word, the missionary translators used a four-word couplet: ℲO., CYU. W: CYU (person … save … person … save). In this particular case, the word for person was not the ordinary word (ʁ) but rather the combination of ℲO., and W: used in oral poetry. The word for ‘save’ also had to be coined; in this case, it was borrowed from Chinese [from jiù / 救]. These aspects of Lisu poetry, originally based on animism, likely would have been lost as Lisu society encountered communism and modernization. Yet they are now codified in the Lisu Bible as well as the hymnbook.”

In the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) it is translated with chipulumutso which is used to refer to an act of helping someone who is in problems but cannot help him/herself come out of the problems because of weakness. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also save and save (Japanese honorifics) / salvation (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

complete verse (Isaiah 12:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 12:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “I rejoice over the salvation,
    like when water makes a thirsty person happy.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “As water from a spring brings joy,
    so you will rejoice because of this salvation.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “As a cold water gives joy to-(the-one-who) is-thirsty, you (plur.) will-rejoice when the LORD will- now -save you (plur.).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You(pl), his people, will greatly enjoy being saved
    like you enjoy drinking water from a fountain.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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 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).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Isaiah 12:3

With this verse there is a change to second person plural forms as the prophet addresses others. His words are not part of the psalm of thanksgiving in verses 1-2. Most versions indicate this by means of the punctuation they adopt, but Good News Translation is an exception (see the introductory comments on this section [12.1-6]). Since the last word of this verse and the previous one is salvation, there is a link between them. The prophet now invites others to enjoy the individual experience of “salvation” referred to in verse 2.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation: With joy describes the happiness that people will feel when the Davidic kingdom is established again and the exiles return to Jerusalem. The author has those events in mind when he speaks of drawing water from the wells of salvation. This metaphor uses the everyday experience of drawing water from a well to symbolize sharing in something that is precious, life saving and enjoyable. Wells in the dry regions of Israel were extremely important (see Gen 21.25-31). The Hebrew word translated wells can also refer to a spring or fountain. Translators may need to adjust the metaphor of the well to communicate effectively in their languages. Not only drawing water from a well, but also referring to wells of salvation could be a problem. If so, translators may use less figurative language and speak more directly about enjoying the benefits of God’s salvation or deliverance, possibly taking Good News Translation as a model. Good News Translation explains the metaphor in terms of people drinking water to allay their thirst: “As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty, so God’s people rejoice when he saves them.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Full of joy you will draw water from God’s rich springs [or, sources/fountains], out of which his help flows too.”

Translation suggestions for this verse are:

• You will happily enjoy the benefits of God’s deliverance.

• Happily you will drink from the fount of God’s deliverance.

• You will be overjoyed as you experience the way God rescues you.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .