forget

The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “forget” in English is translated in Noongar as dwangka-anbangbat, lit. “ear-lose.” (Source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

See also remember and forget (Japanese honorifics).

complete verse (Jeremiah 23:40)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 23:40:

  • Kupsabiny: “I will cause you shame forever and you will be disgraced for years and years without (it) being forgotten.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I will- surely -put- you (plur.) -to-shame forever/[lit. until whenever], that can- never -be-forgotten.’ ’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “I will cause people to make fun of you forever. People will never forget that you were disgraced.’” (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 23:40

Reproach translates the noun first used in 6.10, where Revised Standard Version translates it “object of scorn.”

Shame translates a noun used only here in the Old Testament; it comes from the same root as the verb “be ashamed” in 3.3.

The verse can be translated as follows:

• I will make you something that for all time people will scorn [or, make fun of]. Your disgrace will never be forgotten [or, people will never forget how you have been disgraced].

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 .