The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 38:28:
Kupsabiny: “I stayed there in the courtyard of the guards until the day when Jerusalem was captured.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Jeremias remained a prisoner there in the courtyard of the guards until the day Jerusalem was captured.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So I remained being guarded in the courtyard of the palace, until the day that the army of Babylonia captured Jerusalem.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Until the day that Jerusalem was taken means “until enemies [or, the Babylonians] captured Jerusalem.” Hebrew adds “and it happened when Jerusalem was captured,” which Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation introduce at the beginning of verse 3 of chapter 39. New Jerusalem Bible resolves this difficulty by rendering the clause as “And he was there when Jerusalem actually was captured.” Bible en français courant places this clause just before chapter 39 and renders “Here is what happened when Jerusalem was captured:….” This solution is apparently the one preferred by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, though they do admit the possibility of the New Jerusalem Bible rendering.
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 .
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