19and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place,” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).
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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 to do this is through the usage of appropriate suffix title referred to as keishō (敬称) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017 by either using -san or –sama with the latter being the more formal title.
In these verses, the Hebrew that is translated as “young people” or similar in Englihs is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as mina-sama (皆様), combining the word for “everyone” (mina) and the suffix title –sama. This creates a higher sense of respectability than for instance the same term with the less respectful title –san at everyone (Japanese honorifics).
Also, “young” is translated with o-wakai (お若い), combining “young” (wakai) with the respectful prefix o-. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 1:19:
Kupsabiny: “Before long, a storm blew in from the desert and struck that house from all sides. The house fell on them! So now all those children of yours have died, until I alone was left so that I could come and tell you these words.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “a storm came from the wilderness with great force and tore down the house, [and] your sons and daughters all died. Only I alone have been spared to give you the news."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “just suddenly came a strong wind from a desolate-place, and the whole house collapsed. Your children were-fallen-upon and they died. I alone (am) the(-one-who) has-escaped to tell you (sing.).’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Suddenly a very strong wind/tornado came from the desert and struck the house. The house collapsed on your sons and daughters and killed them all! I am the only one who escaped to come and tell you what happened.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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 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, the Greek that is translated as “those” or “who” or similar in English is translated as kata-gata (方々), combining “people” — kata — and the formal plural suffix -gata. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, nakuna-rare-ru (亡くなられる) or “pass away” is used.
Verses 18-19 form a unit on the pattern of 1.16-17. The first and third attacks were by human forces; the second and fourth are the work of nature. The fourth messenger arrives with the worst news of all: Job’s children are all dead. The present episode began depicting the children feasting. Now the author returns to the celebration that has been going on during the series of tragedies. (See verse 13.)
In 1.19 behold, a great wind came across the wilderness begins with the same word translated “Behold” in verse 12. Here the word serves more as an attention-getter, pointing forward to a sudden action about to be reported. In some languages this is rendered “hear my two words,” “listen, I say,” or by particles that serve this purpose.
A great wind: Good News Translation uses “storm,” which is generic. The wind came across the wilderness. Winds blowing off the desert are normally hot, dry, and dusty. Jeremiah 13.24 speaks of a desert wind. Here the emphasis is on the suddenness and destructive force of the wind. New English Bible has “whirlwind,” Bible en français courant “hurricane,” and Bible de Jérusalem “violent wind.” In language areas which experience such winds, there are usually specific terms. In such cases it may only be necessary to qualify the particular wind term as “strong,” “violent,” or “destructive.” The author does not intend to suggest that the wind is a mysterious one, but rather that it blew in from the desert. In languages where desert areas are unknown, one must often translate “a strong wind blew from the dry, barren place.” If this expression is ambiguous or too vague, it will be better to say, for example, “a strong wind blew.”
Struck the four corners of the house: no part of the house escaped the violence of the storm. In languages in which houses cannot be described as having “corners” (because they are round), we may speak of the “walls”; for example, “the wind blew against the walls.” In any event the four corners is simply a way of saying the wind struck the house, the entire building, and is a dramatic device leading up to the destruction of the building and its occupants.
And it fell upon the young people, and they are dead: the wind hit the house on all four sides, causing it to collapse on the occupants and killing them, or as Good News Translation says with economy of words, “it blew the house down and killed them all.” The word translated the young people is the same word translated “servants” in the other destructions. Although the word in Hebrew is masculine, it includes Job’s daughters as well as the servants (male and female) working in the oldest brother’s house.
Now Job has lost everything except his wife, who has been spared to echo the pitiless heart of Satan in chapter 2.
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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 to do this is through the usage of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, mairu (参る), a humble form of kuru (来る) or “come” is used.
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