The problem of v. 5 reappears here in the words ” . . . lest I impair my own inheritance.” To a Chichewa/Chitonga reader, this excuse for the man’s refusal to marry Ruth just does not make sense. Even a more explicit statement of what was actually involved here does not help all that much; e.g., ” . . . because it might mean that my own children would inherit less” (Good News Bible). To be sure, the financial burden of polygamous marriages in Africa is being increasingly recognized, but that would not be regarded as a valid reason for refusing to carry out one’s familial responsibility. Fundamentally different presuppositions are being applied to this situation, and these cannot be reconciled in the text of a translation.
Source: Wendland 1987, p. 182.
Section headings should not be ignored when one is considering potential problem areas from a cultural point of view. One suggested heading which begins the section starting at v. 13 reads “Boaz and his descendants” (Good News Bible). The average reader, however, is not likely to be very familiar with Boaz. But he has undoubtedly heard of King David. It would seem that this is also the point of emphasis of the original author as well; otherwise, why give this listing at all and have it conclude with this climactic name? Therefore a more appropriate heading would be “The ancestors of King David” (Chichewa).
Source: Wendland 1987, p. 184.
In Chichewa/Chitonga the expression “Blessed be the Lord!” produces a collocational clash, for God (Chauta/Leza) is the ultimate dispenser of blessings, and consequently he cannot exist in a state of being “blessed” himself. He can, on the other hand, be “praised,” which is what parents and relatives would normally do at the birth of a long-awaited child.
Source: Wendland 1987, p. 185.
The various Greek, Aramaic, 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)
