Chaldean

The name that is transliterated as “Chaldean” in English means “astrologer,” “wanderers.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with the sign that combines “Mesopotamia” (see here) and “spreading out,” since the Chaldeans originated in southern Mesopotamia and spread out from there. (Source: Missão Kophós )


“Chaldean” in Libras (source )

More information about Chaldea .

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

survive / escape / save

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “survive,” “escape,” “save,” or similar in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) in these verses with pulumuka, describing someone whose life was in danger but who has freed himself or herself. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

complete verse (Jeremiah 21:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 21:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “The person who remains in the city, famine, bad sicknesses will kill (him) or he will be speared/killed. But the one who goes out of the city and gives himself over to the Babylonians who have surrounded the city will stay alive.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Whoever will-stay in this city will-die from battle, of famine or of disease. But the one-who-will-surrender to those come-from-Babilonia who are-besieging you (plur.) will-live. Yes, (the one who) would-surrender saves his/her life.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Everyone who remains in Jerusalem will die. They will be killed in battles or die from being hungry or from diseases. But those who surrender to the army of Babylon that is surrounding your city will remain alive. They will escape dying.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 Jeremiah 21:9

He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence is best understood in a distributive sense: some people will be killed in battle, some will die of starvation, and others will die of disease. This is the “way of death” referred to in the verse above. The pronoun He should not be restricted to males, since it refers to all people, as with “Anyone” of Good News Translation.

He who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live: This is the “way of life” referred to above.

Shall have his life as a prize of war: Once again life translates a Hebrew word often rendered “soul”; in this context the meaning is obvious. The noun rendered prize of war may in different contexts refer either to physical goods or to prisoners taken in war. One commentator suggests that the expression could be used ironically for a soldier who barely escaped with his life, saying that keeping his own life was his booty. The full expression shall have his life as a prize of war means “will escape with his life.” It occurs again in 38.2; 39.18; 45.5.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .