Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Kako: “heart thinking” (source: Reyburn 2002, p. 190)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):
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” or “wise” in English. For the verses referenced here, it uses p’ijil-o’tanil or “heart wisdom.”
For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).
“He who trusts in his own mind is a fool”: “Trusts” translates the same verb as used in verse 25. “His own mind” is literally “his own heart” and refers to the person’s own intelligence or cleverness. Such a person is described as a “fool”; see 1.22 for “fool”.
“But he who walks in wisdom will be delivered”: “Walks in wisdom” means to live or conduct yourself wisely, or to live according to the teachings of the wise. “Will be delivered” means “escape danger” or “be safe.” See Good News Translation and the comments at 11.21.
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 .
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “survive,” “escape,” “save,” or similar in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) in these verses with pulumuka, describing someone whose life was in danger but who has freed himself or herself. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 28:26:
Kupsabiny: “A person who follows only his own thoughts is stupid, but a person who is understanding lives well.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “People who live only by their own thoughts are fools. People who listen to the words of prudent [people] will be secure.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “A man who only trusts in himself is foolish. A man who lives wisely will- not -be-harmed.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “One who trusts in himself (lit. his body) is foolish, but the wise-person, he has nothing to-worry-about.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “Those who believe that what they think is always right are foolish; those who act wisely will escape danger/be safe.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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