lost and found again

The Greek that is translated as “was lost and found again” or similar in English is translated in these verses in the Catholic Mandarin Chinese Sigao version and the Protestant Union Version with a historical Chinese idiom: shī ér fùdé (失而復得 / 失而复得) or “lost and regained again.” (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)

He has been found

The following is a church window based on an image of Annie Vallotton. This is installed in a church of the Union des Églises Baptistes du Cameroun in Mowo (Mokong), Cameroon.

Photo and the following description by Ken Hollingsworth

“The windows are open with no screens or glass. The pictures were fabricated by projecting the picture using an overhead projector on a piece of plywood. They were drawn on the plywood with charcoal. Then the fabricator cut pieces of iron rebar to make the picture. Then the iron pieces were welded together. Later, when the pictures were installed, they were painted with different colors to help the people ‘see’ the picture.”

parable of the prodigal son (image)

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Image taken from the Wiedmann Bible. For more information about the images and ways to adopt them, see here .

For other images of Willy Wiedmann paintings in TIPs, see here.

lost

The Greek that is often translated as “lost” in English is translated in Mairasi as “their faces lengthened.” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)

joy

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The Greek, Latin, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is translated with “joy” or “gladness” in English is translated with various strategies:

  • Baoulé: “a song in the stomach” (see also peace (inner peace))
  • Bambara: “the spirit is made sweet”
  • Kpelle: “sweet heart”
  • Tzeltal: “the good taste of one’s heart”
  • Uduk: “good to the stomach”
  • Mískito: “the liver is wide open” (“happily letting the pleasures flooding in upon it”) (source for this and above: Nida 1952)
  • Mairasi: “good liver” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
  • Hausa Common Language Bible: farin ciki or “white stomach.” Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling,” happiness / joy, and exceeding joy.

complete verse (Luke 15:32)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 15:32:

  • Noongar: “But we must eat and drink and be happy because your brother was dead and now he is alive; he was lost and now he is found.”” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “But it is very appropriate that we have a joyful feast, because your younger-sibling who was dead, lives again. He was lost, but we have found him again.’ ‘” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “It is fitting for us (dual) to celebrate and to be glad, for that your younger brother was like dead and lives again. He was like lost and has come home.’ ‘” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But we (incl.) cannot stifle our joy because as for this younger brother of yours, he was just like someone who was dead; and today he is alive again. He was lost, but today he is found.’ ‘” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But it is emphatically necessary that we make-merry, because this younger-sibling of yours (sing.) who was like dead, here he is surprisingly-enough alive. He was lost but here he has arrived.’ ‘” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But today, of course we (incl.) must celebrate for as for this brother of yours, he was as-it-were dead but it’s like he has indeed come alive again. Also it’s like he was lost but has been found.”” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

2nd person pronoun with low register (Japanese)

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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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.