desolate / destroy

In Gbaya, the notion of “(to make) desolate” or “to destroy” is emphasized with lɔkɔti-lɔkɔti, an ideophone used to describe complete destruction, devastation.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

See also other occurrences of lɔkɔti-lɔkɔti.

complete verse (Jeremiah 48:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 48:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “The people of Horonaim are crying out loudly,
    ‘Oh no, war! We have been wiped out!´” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Listen to the screaming in Horonaim because of the great battle and destruction.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Listen to the people of Horonaim town screaming;
    they will be wailing because their town will have been devastated and destroyed.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 48:3

Hark can be expressed as “Listen” (New International Version). Good News Translation and some other versions omit this element.

A cry from Horonaim is rendered by Good News Translation as “The people of Horonaim cry out,” and another possible rendering is “You can hear the people of Horonaim crying out.” Some translations have the people crying out “for help” (Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), and others have them crying out in pain or “agony” (New Jerusalem Bible). The cries can also be tied directly to what follows: “cry out, ‘Violence! Destruction!’ ” (Good News Translation). The site of Horonaim is unknown (see also verse 34). As Good News Translation indicates, the name of the city here stands for the people who are doing the shouting.

For Desolation see 6.7, where Revised Standard Version has “destruction”; for great destruction, see 4.6.

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 .