sheep

“Sheep are known throughout most of the world, even though, as in Central Africa, they are a far cry from the fleecy wool-producing animals of colder climates. Where such animals are known, even by seemingly strange names, e.g. ‘cotton deer’ (Yucateco) or ‘woolly goat’ (Inupiaq), such names should be used. In some instances, one may wish to borrow a name and use a classifier, e.g. ‘an animal called sheep’. In still other instances translators have used ‘animal which produces wool’, for though people are not acquainted with the animals they are familiar with wool.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida)

In Dëne Súline, it is usually translated as “an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCEM, p. 70)

Note that the often-alleged Inuktitut translation of “sheep” with “seal” is an urban myth (source Nida 1947, p. 136).

See also lamb and sheep / lamb.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Ps 44:22)

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, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding the Lord.

complete verse (Psalm 44:22)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 44:22:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “Nevertheless because of You we meet with death all day,
    we are like sheep deserving to be killed.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “But for Your sake we are having to die every day.
    We are dealt with like sheep brought to be slaughtered.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “But because of our (excl.) faith/believing in you (sing.), we (excl.) (are) always in-danger of death.
    We (excl.) (are) like sheep to-be-slaughtered.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Eastern Bru:
    “Because we follow your way, everyday someone looks for a way to kill us. They look at us like someone looking at a sheep which they are close to killing.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “But for your sake, we meet with death always,
    we are staying like sheep who are just going to be slaughter.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Lakini siku zote tunauawa,
    kwa sababu tunakutumikia wewe.
    Sisi tunatendewa vibaya,
    kama kama vile kondoo wa kuchinjwa.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “But it is because we belong to you, that our enemies are constantly killing us.
    They act toward us as though we were only sheep to be slaughtered.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

addressing God

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.

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight

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.

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.

See also female second person singular pronoun in Psalms.

Translation commentary on Psalm 44:22

Instead of being unfaithful to God, the people had been faithful, and for this very reason they had been killed, they had been treated as though they were sheep for the slaughter (see verse 11a). This made it even harder to understand that God should have punished his people as he did.

For thy sake does not mean here, as the English phrase usually does, that it was “for the benefit” of God that the Israelites had been slaughtered; it was because of their devotion to him (Good News Translation “on your account”) that they had been defeated and killed. The expression for thy sake may be variously translated; for example, “because of you,” “because we follow you,” or “because we belong to you.”

In some languages it will be necessary to shift from the passive to the active in the expression we are slain. In this case it will be necessary to introduce a new subject; for example, “our enemies are killing us.” The phrase all the day long means “all the time,” continually. Bible en français courant translates “every day we run the risk of dying.”

Since sheep figure so dominantly in both the Old and New Testaments, it is assumed that the translator will not need to substitute another animal in the place of sheep. If supplementary information is required for the reader, this may be given in a glossary.

This verse is quoted by Paul in Romans 8.36.

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 .