garden

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated into English as “garden” is translated into Naskapi with a word that means “a place for things to grow.”

Doug Lockhart (in Word Alive 2013 ) explains: “‘Garden’ was another term that had no Naskapi equivalent. ‘There are no gardens here,’ Bill [Jancewicz, a translation consultant] explains. ‘So what word do you use for ‘Garden of Eden,’ and have it communicate something logical in Naskapi? We finally came up with a word that means ‘a place for things to grow,’ like a park.'”

See also gardener.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Eden .

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Sirach 24:31

In this verse ben Sira is elaborating on his comparing himself in verse 30 to an irrigation ditch. At first, when he started the quest for Wisdom, he only wanted to help himself out, and further his own fortunes. He would just dig a little ditch to water his garden. Good News Translation “I only intended…” conveys this idea. Good News Translation is an adequate model here. Another suggestion follows at the end of the discussion on this verse.

I said, “I will water my orchard and drench my garden plot”: The author is thinking to himself, so Good News Translation translates I said as “I only intended.” The Greek word translated orchard can refer to an orchard, a grove of cultivated trees, but also to any kind of systematic planting. New American Bible says simply “plants”; no more is really needed, but the more specific expression “orchard” or “fruit trees” (Contemporary English Version) certainly doesn’t hurt. Most recent English versions translate the Greek word rendered garden plot as “flower beds” (Good News Translation); the authority for this is not clear, but it’s as good a translation as any for this rare Greek word, and it fits the context well. The Greek verb translated drench actually means “get drunk.” In this context it means “give lots and lots of water.” Good News Translation treats the two verbs water and drench as synonyms, and combines them into “water.” This is acceptable, but for these two lines we may also say “I only intended to give my flowers and fruit trees lots of water.”

And lo, my canal became a river, and my river became a sea: Ben Sira’s modest intentions became greater things; here he is writing a book so that everyone can benefit from what he has learned. The little canal dug out with a hoe to water some plants has become a sea. The word “soon” in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version helps to convey the attention-getting function of the Greek word for lo (see the comments on this word at 16.18, where Revised Standard Version renders it “Behold”). It is important in translation that the word used for canal in verse 30 also be used here; otherwise, the reader might miss the point of these two verses.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• I only intended to water my orchard, and make sure that my flower beds got enough water. And now look at this book that I have written! My little canal [or, ditch] became a river, and the river has become a sea.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.