Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 34:16:
Kupsabiny: “Shaphan took that book and brought it to the king. He said to the king, ‘Everything that you have said/ordered is being done.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Shaphan brought that book to the king and spoke like this: "Your officials have been doing all the work you gave them [to do].” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “and Shafan brought it to the king. Then he said to the king, ‘We the officials did all what you have-had- us -do.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Shaphan took the scroll to the king and said to him, ‘Your officials are doing everything that you told them to do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, yudane-rare-ru (委ねられる) or “entrust” is used.
Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king: The king is Josiah. New Century Version uses the proper name in place of the second occurrence of these words to ensure that there is no mistake about his identity. Further reported is literally “brought back again … a word saying,” which New American Bible translates well as “at the same time making his report.”
All that was committed to your servants they are doing: Instead of using the passive expression All that was committed, the meaning may be more naturally expressed in some languages by showing that it was the king who initially commanded that the work be done as follows: “All that you ordered.” To your servants is literally “to the hand of your servants.” Shaphan shows deference to the king by using the phrase your servants and the pronoun they. He considers himself as one of the king’s servants, so this sentence may be translated in such a way as to show deference and at the same time indicate that the speaker is included. Some languages will do this by including an expression of respect such as “Your Majesty” (which Contemporary English Version does in verse 18) or by changing the pronoun they to “we,” saying “We, your servants, are doing everything that you commanded” or “We, your officials….”
The direct quotation that starts here is concluded at the end of the next verse. A model is given for changing it into indirect discourse at the end of the discussion on the next verse.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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