Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:16:
Noongar: “The first servant came and said, ‘Your Majesty, you gave me one gold coin and now I have ten coins.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “The first one came and said: ‘King, the one gold money/coin that you (sing.) gave me, it has ten children.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The first one went to him and said, ‘Sir, your one gold-coin has earned ten gold-coins.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the first one said, ‘King, your money has multiplied ten times.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “One arrived and said, ‘Sir King, the one gold money that you (sing.) gave me, it has become ten.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “As they all arrived, one person said, ‘Master, ten times as much as you left with me is what I got in profit.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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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 of appropriate suffix title referred to as keishō (敬称) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017 by using the formal title –sama. This is distinct from nominal titles such as “master.” This is evident from the forms such as go-shujin-sama (ご主人様) “master” or “lord” which is the combination of the nominal title shujin “master” with the honorific prefix go- and the suffix title –sama.
In some cases, it can also be used as go-shujin (ご主人), i.e. with the honorific prefix go- but without the suffix title –sama. You can find that in Genesis 23:6, 23:11, 23:15, 24:51, 39:8, 39:9, 44:8, 44:9; 1 Samuel 25:17; and 2 Kings 2:16 and 4:26.
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 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, the more venerable anata-sama (あなた様) is used, which combines anata with the with a formal title -sama.
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®).
hē mna sou deka prosērgasato mnas ‘your mina has made/gained ten minas in addition,’ hence, ‘has made ten more minas.’
prosergazomai ‘to make in addition,’ here of making money, usually with a personal subject.
Translation:
Your pound has made ten pounds more, or, ‘increased to ten pounds’ (cf. Kele), ‘earned (lit. netted), or, made-a-profit-of ten pounds’ (Fulah, Balinese). Some languages use a specific term for making profit on an investment, e.g. a derivation of ‘head’ (Tzeltal), or of ‘flower’ (Uab Meto). If a personal subject is obligatory with the verb, one may say something like, ‘by means of the one pound you gave me I got ten (pounds) more.’
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.
The first servant: The Greek term that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The first servant refers to the first servant to speak. It does not imply that he was the servant whom the master had hired first.
came forward and said: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as came forward is literally “came.” It probably refers here to coming nearer to the king to speak to him. Another way to translate this is:
came and said (New International Version)
In some languages there may be a special way to describe coming to a king or chief. For example:
came before him and said (NET Bible) -or-
presented himself and said
19:16b
Master: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Master here is the same word that is often translated as “Lord” or “Master.” In this context the servant used it to address his master, who was now the king. You should use a term that would be appropriate for a king’s servant to use to address him. For example:
Lord (English Standard Version) -or-
Master (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
Sir King
In some languages it may not be natural to use a form of direct address for the king. If that is true in your language, you may refer to the king in the phrase that introduces the quote. For example:
said to the king, “Your mina…”
your mina has produced ten more minas: The phrase your mina refers to the money that the master had entrusted to this servant. The clause indicates that the servant had used the money to gain ten times as much money. Some other ways to translate this are:
the money that you entrusted to me has increased ten times -or-
your one coin has gained/become ten coins
In some languages it may not be possible to speak of the money itself as earning more money. It may be necessary to make it clear that the servant had earned the money. For example:
Your one mina has made it possible ⌊for me⌋ to make ten more minas -or-
I earned ten coins with the one you gave me (New Century Version)
In other languages there may be an idiom to express this. For example:
the one gold coin that you gave me, it has ten children
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