Mary (of Bethany)

The Greek that is transliterated as “Mary (of Bethany)” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a signs for “woman” and “listen,” referring to Luke 10:39. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Mary” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Martha and more on Bible Odyssey: Mary and Martha .

John as a first-person evangelist (John 11:32)

In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.

The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):

“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.

“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”

In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “And Mary when she arrived where we were saw Jesus. . .”

complete verse (John 11:32)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 11:32:

  • Uma: “When Maria arrived at the stopping-place of Yesus, and saw Yesus, she knelt down in front of him, and said to him: ‘Lord, if you (sing.) had been here, my relative would not have died.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But she went to Isa. When Mariyam saw Isa, she prostrated at Isa’s feet and she said, ‘Sir, if you had been here, our (excl.) brother would not have died.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for Mary, when she arrived to Jesus, she went near to him and kneeled down. And she said, ‘If only you had been here, my brother would not have died.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When Maria arrived then where Jesus was, she knelt-right-down in front of him and said, ‘Lord, if you (sing.) had been here before, our (excl.) sibling would not have died.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When Maria came there to Jesus, she bowed down there beside the legs/feet of Jesus and then she spoke saying, ‘Lord/Chief, supposing you had only been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Mary went to where Jesus was standing and kneeled before him. She said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, then my brother wouldn’t have died.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

younger brother (Lama)

The Greek that is translated as “brother” in English in the referenced verses is translated in Lama as rɨtafal or “younger brother.” (Source: Neal Brinneman)

Japanese benefactives (ni ite)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, ni ite (にいて) or “be present” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )