understanding ("head wisdom")

In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001) the translation team used three different words to translate the Hebrew term that is translated as “wisdom” in English. One of them is p’ijil jol or “word wisdom” which is also used for “understanding,” good sense,” “intelligent,” or “insight.”

For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).

complete verse (Proverbs 28:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 28:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “Rich people take themselves to be wise,
    but a poor and understanding person knows that it is no so.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Rich people think they are wise.
    But poor people who have insight
    can see right through them. [Lit.: recognize them]” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The wealthy ones think that they are already very wise, but a poor man who has understanding knows what kind of people they really are.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The rich think-incorrectly that they are wise, but the poor-person who is skilled in distinguishing the behavior of people, he knows the truth of it.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Many rich people think that they are wise,
    but poor people who have good sense will find out whether rich people really are wise or not.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 28:11

As usual in Proverbs, the rich are discredited in this saying.

“A rich man is wise in his own eyes”: “Wise in his own eyes” means the rich person thinks himself wise when he really is not; see 26.5 where the fool is described in the same way.

“But a poor man who has understanding will find him out”: “Will find him out” renders a verb meaning “to search” or “examine.” “Him” refers back to the rich man. The idea expressed by “find him out” here is that the poor man knows that the rich man, in spite of his wealth, is not wise. Bible en français courant says “The rich person thinks that he acts wisely, but an intelligent poor man can unmask him,” that is, “. . . expose him for what he really is.” One translation expresses this as “But the poor person who has good thinking understands his real character.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .