abomination

The Hebrew that is translated as “abomination” or similar in English is translated in Vidunda as “hated thing” and in Kwere as zitibusa which means “evil” but also something that causes horror or disgust and revolts people. (Source for both: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

in Ngambay it is nékɔb or “taboo.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also detestable in the sight of God and holy.

complete verse (Leviticus 18:26)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 18:26:

  • Kupsabiny: “But you (plur.) must keep my commandments and my laws and no one among should do those sins. Any foreigner who is in your midst must also not do this,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So you must obey my rules and decrees, and it is not OK for anyone, whether Israelite or foreigner living with them, to do such repulsive work.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And so even-if that land has-became-dirty/has-become-unclean because-of what they do, so I have-sent calamities to that land so-that by-means- of this they will-(all)-leave there. But you (plur.) Israelinhon and the foreigners who (are) living with you (plur.), you (plur.) must- not -do those detestable/abominable things but-instead you (plur.) obey my rules/regulations/[lit. what-is-to-be-followed] and commands. For if you (plur.) also make- the land -dirty/unclean by doing those things, you (plur.) will- also -be-caused-to-leave from that land just-like the people before you (plur.).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You must all obey my laws and decrees. That includes you people who were born here and the foreigners who live among you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Leviticus 18:26 - 18:27

These two verses are combined and radically restructured in Good News Translation. The information taken as parenthetical by Revised Standard Version is shifted forward and given greater prominence. This may also serve as a good model in many other languages.

The men of the land: this means the former inhabitants of the land of Canaan. Good News Translation simply uses the pronoun “They,” but it is probably wiser to make this more explicit. Some other alternatives are “the previous inhabitants” (New American Bible), “the local inhabitants” (Moffatt), and “the people who lived in the country before you” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Statutes and … ordinances: see verse 4.

Abominations: see verses 17 and 22.

The native or the stranger …: see 17.15. Compare also 16.29.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .