The Greek that is translated as “(small) rudder” in English is translated in the following ways:
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “(a small) stick”
- Mezquital Otomi: “a (little) metal”
- Rincón Zapotec: “(little) wooden hand” (source for this and two above: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “thing that is in the water that steers the boat”
- Teutila Cuicatec: “paddle that steered the ship” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
- Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “board to steer” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.).
See also ship and anchor.
The Greek in 1 Peter 3:2 that is translated in English as “pure conduct” (or “chaste behavior”) is translated in Balanta-Kentohe as “good walk.” (Source: Rob Koops)
The standalone term that is translated as “pure” is translated in Mezquital Otomi as “that which cleanses one’s thoughts,” and in Alekano as “making our insides white.” (Source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).
See also snow (color).
The Greek in James 5:15 that is translated as “anyone who has committed sin will be forgiven” or similar in English is translated as “if there is his sin the one who is healed his sin will be lost also” in Tzotzil, “that sick one has been healed, his sins the Father has pardoned” in Mezquital Otomi), and “and if sins are the cause of our sickness, it will be forgiven us” in Eastern Highland Otomi) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).
The Greek that is usually translated as “humble” or “lowly” in English is translated as
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “one who doesn’t elevate himself”
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “those who think they aren’t worth much”
- Alekano: “those who stay low” (source for this and above: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
- Mezquital Otomi: “poor brothers”
- Isthmus Zapotec: “ones who little-honored”
- Highland Totonac: “just ordinary people”
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “poor people who have nothing” (source for this and three above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
- Low German: “those who don’t account to anything in other people’s eyes” (source: translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006)
See also humble (mind).
The Greek in James 3:17 that is typically translated as “peaceable” in English is translated in a variety of ways:
(Source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).
See also peace (absence of conflict).
The Greek in James 3:12 that is translated as “Can a fig tree yield olives or a grapevine figs?” in English is translated as “What about orange trees? Can also guaves hang there? Or what about a blackberry bush? Do oranges hang there?” in Eastern Highland Otomi and “Think also if an apple tree can give peaches, if an avocado tree can give apples” in Tzotzil) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).
In Low German, the first part is translated as “can a fig tree yield oranges” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).
The Greek that is translated as “curse” in English” is translated as “with our mouth we blaspheme (our fellowmen)” in Mezquital Otomi), as “speak evil of” in Sayula Popoluca, and as “ask for a calamity for” in Eastern Highland Otomi (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).
See also cursed, curse (noun), and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.
The Greek that is translated in English as “leaven” or “yeast” is translated in Alekano as “bile.”
Ellis Deibler (in Holzhausen 1991, p. 46f. explains): “A translation helper from the Gahuku people [one of the tribes that speak Alekano] and I had just finished translating chapter 5 of 1 Corinthians. In it, Paul gives instructions to the Corinthians on how to behave toward an immoral man in the church. In verse 6 it says ‘Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?’ Patiently, I explained to my trusted translation helper all about leaven and its function in baking bread. He shook his head in resignation and said, ‘We can try to translate it that way if you want, but people won’t understand. They don’t know how to bake bread, just as they don’t know what leaven is or what it does. How then will they understand what Paul is saying here? But …’ he added, following a sudden inspiration, ‘there would be another way. When we slaughter an animal, there’s a small part on its body that we never cut up, because otherwise when we cook it, all the rest of the meat becomes inedible.’ I could tell that he was thinking of bile. It was also clear to me that he had found a fitting example from the culture of his people. ‘We can translate it this way,’ he continued, ‘the gall bladder is a small thing, but if just a little of it is cooked together with the meat, the whole dish becomes so bitter that it cannot be eaten. Don’t you know that?’ He was quite confident in his version of translating this verse, but I had reservations. ‘What about the next verse, then, where Paul says to clean sweep out the old leaven?’, I asked. ‘Oh, that’s not difficult,’ he replied. Then he explained to me that it is customary among the Gahuku to use the word leaven figuratively to refer to an evil quality in a person, and added, ‘We can simply say, ‘Expel this disgusting stuff from your midst, and you will be truly palatable.” I thought about his suggestion for a while and discussed it at length with other colleagues. After that, I too was convinced that we had found an excellent substitute for the biblical figure of speech ‘leaven,’ and one that the Gahukus could not misunderstand. After all, they know a lot about cooking meat, but nothing at all about baking bread.”
See also leaven.
