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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 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, ko-rare-ru (来られる) or “come” is used.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 13:10:
Kupsabiny: “She run quickly and told her husband, ‘Behold, that person of the other day has come to me again.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The woman ran immediately to Manoah and said — "Look, the man who came that day has come to me again."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “She quickly looked-for her husband and told (him), ‘Manoa, come-quickly! Here is now the man who appeared to me the other day.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So she quickly ran and said to her husband, ‘The man who appeared to me a few days ago has come back again!’” (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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, kite (来て) or “come” 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. )
And the woman ran in haste and told her husband is literally “And the woman hurried and she ran and she told her husband and she said to him.” And renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, but many versions omit it here (New International Version, NET Bible). Good News Translation translates it “so,” or we could also say “Then.” The woman is Manoah’s wife. Revised Standard Version combines the verbs “hurried” and “ran,” saying ran in haste. Her sense of urgency may also be expressed by saying “ran quickly” (New Revised Standard Version) or “hurried as fast as she could.” Revised Standard Version also reduces the repetitive clauses “she told her husband” and “she said to him” by keeping only the first one, which may be done in other languages. However, the narrator has purposely drawn out this sequence of events with the woman still in focus.
Behold, which renders the Hebrew word hinneh, introduces a surprising statement once again, with a meaning something like “This is wonderful!” or “What a surprise!” Translators might also use an ideophone showing surprise or excitement here.
The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me: The order of this sentence is reversed in Hebrew, which is literally “he has appeared to me, the man who came to me on the day.” Either order is certainly acceptable. The man is the woman’s way of referring to the man of God (see verse 13.6). This abbreviated form reflects her excitement, but also shows that she is still not sure whether this person is a prophet or an angel. The Hebrew expression rendered the other day (literally “on the day”) normally means “today,” but here it refers to the day when the LORD’s angel first appeared to the woman, so Revised Standard Version‘s rendering is correct. The Septuagint says “that day,” which refers back to the original appearance. Translators should use a natural expression here. For appeared see verse 13.3.
Translation models for this verse are:
• So the woman ran as fast as she could to her husband and said, “My husband! He has appeared again, the man who came to me the other day!”
• The woman ran quickly to where her husband was and said, “You won’t believe it. The man who came the other day appeared to me again!”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. 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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”
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