The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.
Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew that is translated as “before you,” “to you” or similar in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) as pamaso panu, lit. “on your eyes.” (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 Psalm 16:11:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your eyes,
I will rejoice forever at your right hand.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“You show me the path of life
living in Your presence [You] will make me glad.
And I will always be given this joy.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“You (sing.) taught me the way going to life that is full of happiness,
and next to you (sing.), I will-experience joy that has-no end.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Eastern Bru:
“You show me the/way road that leads to the place of eternal life. Before your eyes (in your presence) there is only rejoicing. And you make me to have exceeding joy living with you forever.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
Laarim:
“You showed me a way of life,
when you stayed near to me you gave me to rejoice well,
and I will be happy forever, at your right hand.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Umenionyesha njia ambazo zinapeleka katika uzima,
utakuja kunifurahisha sana,
katika mkono wako wa kulia, yamo mazuri ya milele na milele.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“You will show me the road that leads to receiving eternal life,
and you will make me joyful when I am with you.
I will have pleasure forever when I am at your right hand/seated next to you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed. The first example is from a language where God is always addressed distinctly formal whereas the second is one where the opposite choice was made.
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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 Translator2002, 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.
In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.
Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”
In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.
Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking (source Philip Noss).
In Dutch and Western Frisian translations, however, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.
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, -sete (せて) or “let/allow (for me)” 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).”
The verb in line a is the causative form of “to know,” literally “you will cause me to know” (New Jerusalem Bible “You will teach me”); most English translations have show or “reveal.” The path of life is “the path that leads to life” (Good News Translation); Dahood sees this as eternal life. Good News Translation has translated the verb in the future tense, “You will show me.” It may be better to follow Revised Standard Version and translate in the present tense, expressing repeated or continuous action: “You always show me….”
Presence (Hebrew “face”) and right hand are used synonymously, meaning close presence, companionship, care, protection. Revised Standard Versionin thy right hand means that God holds in his right hand gifts or blessings that will bring eternal pleasure to the psalmist. It seems better, however, to understand the Hebrew to mean “at your right hand,” that is, “close to you,” parallel with “in your presence” in the preceding line. In many passages “the right hand” is specifically the place of privilege and honor (see 45.9; 110.1). In some instances the two metaphors may be clear and effective in representing the meaning; in other cases nonfigurative language may be better. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “from your right hand comes eternal happiness.”
The two words joy and pleasures (see verse 6) are also used synonymously; fulness of joy is complete joy, “perfect joy” (New Jerusalem Bible).
In thy presence … may have to be recast into a temporal clause; for example, “When you are near me I am joyful” or “When you are near my heart is cool.” The parallel line in thy right hand … is rendered in some languages “because you are near to me, my heart is always cool” or “because you are with me….”
The word translated for evermore does not necessarily mean “eternally”; as Anderson points out, it can mean “for life,” as in Exodus 21.6, “the slave shall serve his owner for life.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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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 (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-mae (御前) or “before (God)” in the referenced verses. In some cases in can also be used in reference to being before a king, such as in 1 Samuel 16:16.
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