village

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “village” or “town” in English is translated in Noongar as karlamaya or “fire (used for “home“) + houses” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Elhomwe it is typically translated as “place.” “Here in Malawi, villages very small, so changed to ‘places,’ since not sure whether biblical reference just to small villages or also to bigger towns. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

year of Jubilee

The Hebrew that is translated as “(year of) Jubilee” in English is translated in Kwere as mwaka wa kubweleza or “year of return.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Leviticus 25:31)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 25:31:

  • Kupsabiny: “But houses that are in villages are taken as equal to fields. They can be bought back/returned to the owners on any day and can be released in the year of release.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If [it is] the house of a village outside the wall, it will be like a field. The owner of such a house will be able to redeem it. And at the time of the Year of Jubilee it must be given back.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But the houses in the villages without stone-walls are-to-be-considered just-like fields, which may be-redeemed/be-bought-back and reclaimed/taken-back in the Year of Setting-Free and Returning.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But houses that are in villages that do not have walls around them are considered to be as though they are in a field. So if someone sells one of those houses, he is permitted to buy it back at any time. And if he does not buy it, it must be returned to him in the Year of Celebration.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 25:31

This verse is the counterpart of verses 29 and 30 above. Since there is a contrast between the disposition of houses inside the cities and those in the countryside, this part should be introduced by a conjunction marking contrast.

Reckoned with the fields of the country: or “treated as property in the open country” (New English Bible), or “considered as situated in the open country” (New Jerusalem Bible).

May be redeemed … shall be released: these passive verb forms will have to be rendered actively in many languages. An alternative phrasing may be “the owners can buy them back and take possession of them again in the Year of Restoration.”

Jubilee: see verse 10.

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 .