Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 14:15:
- Uma: “The house owner will show you a big room up above. That room is all prepared, complete with stuff [i.e., furniture, utensils]. There you will prepare the Paskah food for us.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “So-then he will show you a big room upstairs,’ said Isa. ‘That room is already prepared beforehand. Prepare there our (incl.) food.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then he will show you a wide room overhead which is already outfitted. There you prepare our supper.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “He will then show/point-out-to you a wide room upstairs where all that we need is located. Prepare what we will eat there.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Well, he will show you a spacious room upstairs, complete with utensils/furnishings. There in that room is where you are to prepare our (incl.) evening meal.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the disciples).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
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 Translator 2002, 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.