serve

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “serve,” “minister,” “walk with,” or “service” is translated in Igede as myị ẹrụ or “agree with message (of the one you’re serving).” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In Quetzaltepec Mixe, “serve” is translated as “obey.” (Source: Robert Bascom)

quiet / quietly

In Gbaya, the notion of the being quiet or doing something quietly is emphasized with the ideophone sɛ́ɛ́m, which expresses standing still, without moving, quietly, mouth closed.

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

silent / say nothing

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “silent” or “say nothing” in English is translated in the Protestant Mandarin Chinese Union Version with two historical Chinese idioms: mòmò wúshēng (默默無聲 / 默默无声) or mòmò bùyán (默默不言), both “silent (lit. “quiet – no sound [or: words]”). (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)

See also silent / still and silent

silent / still

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “silent” or “still” in English is translated in the Catholic Mandarin Chinese Sigao version with historical Chinese idioms: mòmò wúshēng (默默無聲 / 默默无声), mò búzuòshēng (默不作聲 / 默不作声), or mò rán bùyǔ (默然不語 / 默然不语): “silent (lit. “quiet – no sound [or: “words”]”). (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)

See also silent / say nothing and silent.

Aaron

The name that is transliterated as “Aaron” in English means “light,” “a mountain of strength” “to be high.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Catalan Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language it is translated as “stones on chest plate” (according to Exodus 28:15-30) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


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

In Colombian Sign Language, Honduras Sign Language, and American Sign Language, the chest plate is outlined (in ASL it is outlined using the letter “A”):


“Aaron” in ASL (source )

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 Moses, more information on Aaron , and this lectionary in The Christian Century .

complete verse (Leviticus 10:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 10:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “Moses told Aaron that this was what God meant/said when he said, ‘I will show the people who come to/before me that I am holy. I will show all people that I am exalted.’ But Aaron was speechless.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD meant when he said,
    ‘I will display my holiness
    through those who come near me.
    I will display my glory
    before all the people.’’
    And Aaron was silent.’"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then Moises said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD meant when he said,
    ‘The priests should know/(recognize) my holiness,
    and I should be-honored by the whole people/community.’ ’
    Aaron did- not -answer.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Moses/I said to Aaron, ‘That is what Yahweh predicted. He said,
    ‘Those priests who come near to me,
    I will show them that they must respect me/treat me as being holy;
    in the presence of all the people
    I am the one who must be honored.’’
    But Aaron said nothing.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English means “taken out of the water,” “saved out of the water,” “a son.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

It is translated in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language with a sign in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


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

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here ).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

In Swiss-German Sign Language (and Hungarian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

In Korean Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the arms held up by Moses to assure the Israelites victory over the Amalekites (see Exodus 17:11).


“Moses” in Korean Sign Language, source: Korean Sign Language Bible House

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff. )


“Moses” in Estonian Sign Language, source: Glossary of the EKNK Toompea kogudus

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

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Moses .

inform / tell (Japanese honorifics)

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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 (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

The concept of “informing” (“telling”) is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as o-tsuge (お告げ), combining “inform / tell” (tsuge) with the respectful prefix o-. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also informing (Japanese honorifics).