The Greek in 1 Corinthians 12:15 that is translated in English as “If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand'” is translated in Alekano as “our foot cannot say to our hand,” since in that language body parts need to have an obligatory possessive designator attached (Source: Larson 1998, p. 42)
Language-specific Insights
the wise and the foolish
The Greek in Romans 1:14 that is translated as “the wise and the foolish” or the “educated and the uneducated” in English is translated in Alekano as “those who have spoken school and those who have not spoken school.” (Source: Larson 1998, p. 86)
two-edged sword
The Greek that is translated as “two-edged sword” in English is translated in Alekano as “like a knife that is sharp at its mouth and its back” (source: Larson 1998, p. 170) and in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as “the sharpest knife.”
The now commonly-used English idiom “two-edged sword” (meaning something that offers both a good and bad consequence) was first coined in 1560 in the Geneva Bible. (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 279)
Other languages that use this phrase idiomatically, include:
- Spanish: espada de doble filo
- French: épée à double tranchant
- German: zweischneidiges Schwert
- Italian: spada a doppio taglio
- Portuguese: espada de dois gumes
- Russian: обоюдоострый меч (oboyudoostryy mech) or двуострый меч (dvuostryy mech)
- Czech: dvojsečná zbraň
- Polish: miecz obosieczny
See also sword.
that you may be mature and complete
The Greek in James 1:4 that is translated as “that you may be mature and complete” or similar in English is translated in Alekano as “your life will become whole,” in Rincón Zapotec as “finish becoming perfect,” and in Eastern Highland Otomi as “that is what will cause our hearts to be mature.”
(Source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
difficult teaching, hard saying
The Greek in John 6:60 that is translated as “difficult teaching” or “hard saying” or alike in English is translated as “speaking that which is unclean” in Aguaruna, “words that hurt” in Umiray Dumaget Agta, “difficult words” in Yatzachi Zapotec, or “perplexing talk” in Alekano. (Source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
take branches of palm trees
The Greek in John 12:13 that is translated as “take branches of palm trees” or similar is translated in
- Aguaruna: “cut palm leaves”
- Waffa: “break off and held leaves like coconut leaves”
- Alekano: “break off leafy decorative things” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “get some leafy branches” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa as “get fronds from a plant like a badangan (note: a local palm like coconut but smaller)” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi as “pick palm branches” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
See also cut branches.
God is spirit
The Greek in John 4:24 that is translated as “God is spirit” in English is translated in Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac as “God is alive although he is not seen,” in Huehuetla Tepehua as “God doesn’t have a body,” in Yatzachi Zapotec as “God is not a person of flesh and blood,” and in Alekano as “God is breath.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
See also complete verse (John 4:24).