Japanese benefactives (yō ni shite)

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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, yō ni shite (ようにして) or “do so (so that) / make it like” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

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

Translation commentary on Mark 10:51

Exegesis:

rabbouni (only here in Mark; cf. rabbi 9.5) ‘my teacher,’ ‘my master’: the Aramaic raboni, as Lagrange says, may mean Monseigneur or, simply Monsieur.

hina anablepsō ‘that I regain sight,’ ‘that I may see’ either hina is imperatival and the phrase means ‘Let me see,’ or else it stands for thelō hina ‘I want that’ in which hina denotes the content of the request.

anablepō (cf. 6.41) ‘recover sight’: the word may imply, but not necessarily so, that at one time the man had been able to see (in Jn. 9.11, 15, 18 it is used of the man born blind).

Translation:

Said to in the first clause may be rendered as ‘asked,’ in conformance with receptor language requirements.

For master see discussion under 9.5. In this context there seems to be more than merely ‘teacher’ involved. Bartimaeus is evidently recognizing Jesus as an important personage, and an equivalent title in the receptor language should be found.

One cannot always translate literally ‘receive sight.’ For example, in Highland Totonac one receives ‘light’ and in Copainalá Zoque the equivalent expression is ‘permit my eyes to shine.’

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 10:51

10:51a

What do you want Me to do for you?: In Greek, the question that Jesus asked Bartimaeus here is similar to the one that he asked James and John in 10:36. If it is natural in your language, you may translate in a similar way here.

Jesus asked: In Greek the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus asked occurs at the beginning of this verse. It introduces Jesus’ words. Place this phrase where it is natural in your language.

In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech for this part of the verse. For example:

Jesus asked Bartimaeus what his request was.

10:51b

Rabboni: The word Rabboni is a Hebrew word that is used several times in Mark. (The literal meaning of “Rabbi” in Hebrew is “my great one.”) Here in 10:51b the text uses a slightly different form. Both forms refer to a person who taught people about God and his ways. People often used the word as a title to show respect when they spoke to such a religious teacher. See how you translated this word in 9:5a.

said the blind man: This phrase indicates that Bartimaeus was answering Jesus. In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb like “answered” or “replied.”

In the Greek text the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as said the blind man occurs at the beginning of this sentence. Place it where it is natural in your language.

let me see again: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as let me see again is literally “so that I may see.” The man was politely requesting Jesus to do something for him. He was begging Jesus to make him able to see. Translate this in an appropriate way in your language. For example, the New International Version says:

I want to see

see again: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as see again can imply either “be able to see for the first time” or “be able to see again.” The text does not say whether this man had been able to see and then became blind or whether he was born blind. It is good not to specify this in your translation.

© 2008 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.