complete verse (Job 12:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 12:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “As the tongue tastes food before eating,
    the ears need to scrutinize the words they hear.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Like the tongue gets the taste of food,
    doesn’t the ear test the spoken word?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If the tongue of a man knows what is the tasty or not tasty food, the ear of a person can- also -know what is the good or bad words.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “And when we hear what other people like you say,
    we think carefully about what they say to determine what is good and what is bad,
    like we taste food to determine what is good and what is bad.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Job 12:11

Does not the ear try words as the palate tastes food?: the point of this proverb is that the ear judges between what is true and false, good and bad, just as the mouth distinguishes between what tastes good and what tastes bad. Job appears to claim for himself the right to discern what is good and true from the false teachings of his friends. The proverb serves as a sarcastic climax to verses 7-10. The ear and the palate, although only parts of the body, serve for the whole person in this saying. Good News Translation has placed the emphasis upon enjoying rather than upon distinguishing. However, enjoying food and words is not what Job is saying here, therefore Good News Translation should not be followed. The same saying will be used by Elihu in 34.3, where Good News Translation gives a better translation. In languages where these respective parts cannot by themselves perform these functions, it may be necessary to adjust the proverb to say, for example, “When a person hears words spoken, does he not test them to decide which are true? Of course he does. It is the same as when he tastes food and finds some tastes good and some tastes bad.”

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 .