bear child / give birth

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “bear (a child)” or “give birth to” is translated in Mairasi as “go to the forest,” reflecting the traditional place of childbirth for Mairasi women. (Source: Enggavoter 2004)

In Spanish it is translated as dar a luz, literally “to give to light.” Likewise, in Portuguese (dar à luz) and Italian (dare alla luce). (Source: Mark Terwilliger)

See also in childbirth / travail and birth.

save

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The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”

Other translations include:

  • San Blas Kuna: “help the heart”
  • Laka: “take by the hand” in the meaning of “rescue” or “deliver”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “lift out on behalf of”
  • Anuak: “have life because of”
  • Central Mazahua: “be healed in the heart”
  • Baoulé: “save one’s head”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “come out well”
  • Northwestern Dinka: “be helped as to his breath” (or “life”) (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida),
  • Matumbi: “rescue (from danger)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Noongar: barrang-ngandabat or “hold life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • South Bolivian Quechua: “make to escape”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “cause people to come out with the aid of the hand” (source for this and one above: Nida 1947, p. 222)
  • Bariai: “retrieve one back” (source: Bariai Back Translation)

See also salvation and save (Japanese honorifics).

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Jeremiah 2:27)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding the Lord.

complete verse (Jeremiah 2:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 2:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those people say to a piece of wood/a tree, ‘You are our father,’
    and/or say to a stone/rock, ‘You are the one who gave birth to us.’
    (They) have turned the back to me rather than continue looking at me.
    But when (they) are in trouble/suffer they cry out saying,
    ‘Please, come and rescue us!’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) say that the tree is your (plur.) father and the stone is your (plur.) mother. You (plur.) turned-away from me, but if you (plur.) are in difficulty you (plur.) ask for help from me.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You say to a piece of wood that is carved to become a sacred idol, ‘You are our father!’
    And you say to a stone that you have set up, ‘You are our mother!’
    You have rejected me,
    but when you experience troubles,
    you cry out to me to rescue you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Japanese benefactives (sukutte)

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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, sukutte (救って) or “save/deliver” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 2:27

In the text this verse continues the sentence begun in verse 26; that is, the people of Israel who will be disgraced are a nation that prays to trees and stones. Good News Translation begins a new sentence, but repeats “You will all be disgraced” to be more natural. It is equally possible to begin the sentence “You say to an idol of wood…” (so Bible en français courant).

The tree and stone symbolize the fertility gods and goddesses worshiped by the Israelites. It is generally assumed that the tree is actually a reference to a sacred wooden pole or column set up at the place of worship. Moreover, it is also thought that the tree (or “wooden pole”) represented the female deity, whereas the stone represented the male deity. If this is the case, then the prophet’s identification of the tree as male (You are my father) and of the stone as female (You gave me birth) may be interpreted as a sarcastic remark. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates: “… but you say to the sacred poles: ‘You are my father’; to stone columns: ‘You are the mother, who gave me birth.’ ”

Of course, many languages will require that this be in indirect discourse, as in Good News Translation, or “You call a tree your father and pronounce to a stone that it is the mother who gave you birth.”

The transition For is dropped as unnecessary in some translations; others have rendered it with “but” to show that there is a contrast between how the people treat the gods of wood and stone on the one hand and the LORD on the other.

They have turned their back to me, and not their face is repeated in 32.33. The use of this double imagery emphasizes the people’s absolute rejection of the LORD: “You have turned completely away from me” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Good News Translation retains the double action with “you turned away from me instead of turning to me.”

Arise and save us is addressed to the LORD: “Lord, come and save us!” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Good News Translation resolves the problem of the person addressed by the use of indirect discourse: “But when you are in trouble, you ask me to come and save you.” The verb Arise is used here in the same sense that it is in 1.17. In this verse it is naturally expressed as “Come.”

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 .