The Greek that is typically translated with a generic expressions such as “he who,” “whoever,” or “if anyone” in English is translated with the plural form (“they”) in Daga. “A literal translation of these conveys the idea that one specific unnamed individual is being discussed. Thus, for instance, in John 5:24 ‘he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life’ meant in Daga that there was one fortunate individual to whom it applied.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 10:16:
Noongar: “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The person who listens to you, he also listens to me; and the person who rejects you, he also rejects me. The person who rejects me, he rejects God, who sent me.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “After that, Yesus again spoke to his followers, he said: ‘People who receive your words, its meaning, it is my [emphatic] words that they receive. People who reject you, its meaning, I am the one they reject. And people who reject me, they also reject the Lord God who sent me.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Isa said yet to his disciples, ‘Whoever listens to your teaching, it is as if they listen to me. Whoever doesn’t pay attention to you, it is as if it is me whom they are not paying attention to. And whoever doesn’t pay attention to me, that means that he also is not paying attention to God the one who sent me to the world.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then he spoke to his disciples, he said, ‘Any person who obeys your teaching, it’s as if I were the one he’s obeying. And that person who does not pay any attention to you, it’s just as if I were the one he’s not paying any attention to. And the person who doesn’t pay any attention to me is really not paying any attention to God who sent me.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The one who heeds what you say, I am the very one he is heeding, and the one who rejects you, I am the very one he rejects, and the one who rejects me, it is God who sent me that he is rejecting.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Jesus added on more saying to his disciples, ‘The ones listening to you, I am the one they are listening to. Those who reject you, they are also rejecting me. And those who reject me, they are also rejecting my Father who sent me.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.
In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.
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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 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.
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).
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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) 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, tsukawas-are-ru (遣わされる) or “send” is used.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
ho akouōn humōn emou akouei ‘he who listens to you listens to me.’ Close of the commission to the seventy [two] and after vv. 13-15 addressed to them. akouō implies here acceptance of what is heard, as its contrast atheteō shows (see below).
ho athetōn humas eme athetei ‘he who rejects you rejects me.’ For atheteō cf. on 7.30. Here it is used with a personal object and refers to the rejection of the call to faith in, and allegiance to Jesus.
ton aposteilanta me ‘him who has sent me,’ i.e. God. Jesus applies here to himself the word he applied to the messengers, cf. v. 3.
Translation:
Hears, i.e. ‘listens to’ (cf. on 1.41), or, ‘obeys’ (cf. on 2.51).
You, i.e. the seventy [two] disciples.
Rejects, see on 7.30 (with a non-personal object) and on 9.22 (where the object is Jesus); or, ‘does not receive’ (for which cf. on 9.5).
Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.
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