The Greek and Hebrew phrases that are often translated as “birds of the air” in English “refer to the undomesticated song birds or wild birds, to be distinguished in a number of languages from domesticated fowl. In Tzeltal these former are ‘field birds’.” (source: Bratcher / Nida)
Q’anjob’al also uses an established term for non-domesticated birds. Newberry and Kittie Cox (in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. ) explain: “Qʼanjobʼal has two distinct terms, one to identify domesticated birds and the other non-domesticated birds. The additional descriptive phrase ‘of the air’ seemed entirely misleading, for Qʼanjobʼal speakers had never heard of such creatures. Actually, of course, all that was necessary was the term for non-domesticated birds, for that is precisely the meaning of the Biblical expression.”
In Elhomwe they are just translated as “birds” or “birds of the bush” (i.e., wild birds) to “not give the impression that these are special type of birds.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated in English as “reptiles” or “creeping things” or similar is translated as “those which crawl along upon their stomach” in San Mateo del Mar Huave, “those that crawl the way they travel” in Chichimeca-Jonaz, and “animals that crawl on the ground” in Lalana Chinantec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Nyamwezi it is translated as as vitundwa vya ku’yu’mba or “creatures that move.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew words zachal and remes literally mean “creeping [things]” or “crawling [things]”, which is the Hebrew way of referring to small unclean creatures, reptiles in particular. The Greek word herpeton is also a general word for reptile; it includes snakes and lizards. All of the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin words usually exclude fish.
The Hebrew words carry the connotation of uncleanness.
In languages which have a word meaning “reptile”, this will fit most contexts. In languages which do not, phrases such as “snakes and lizards”, “wriggling things”, and so forth could be used.
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 11:6:
Uma: “I looked at its contents, I saw many kinds of animals with four feet, wild animals, animals that slither, and with birds also.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I looked to see/clarify as to what was inside that blanket. What I saw were animals, animals of the forest, those that crawl on the ground, and birds also.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And I stared at it and I saw its contents which were crawling creatures such as beasts, reptiles, and birds.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When I looked-carefully, there were there types of tame and wild animals, there were also those that crawl/slither and those that fly.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, I looked-closely at its contents. What I saw was, animals which walk and which crawl, including fierce animals, and there were birds too.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
On the basis of Genesis 1.24-25, which distinguishes between domesticated animals and wild animals, it seems best to understand animals as domesticated animals and beasts as wild animals. On this verse see 10.12.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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