vision

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin and Greek that is translated as “vision” in English is translated in a variety in the following languages:

  • Chol: “as if in a dream” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Obolo: ilaak ọkpọchieen̄ or “dreaming awake” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “a showing like dreams”
  • Desano: “see in a dream what God will send”
  • Rincón Zapotec: “see what God shows”
  • Mayo: “see things from God as in a dream”
  • Lalana Chinantec: “dream how it is going to be”
  • Chuj: “like dreaming they see”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “understand what they see as if in a dream”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “see that which will happen” (source for this and seven above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Tagbanwa: “being caused to dream by God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Chichewa: azidzaona zinthu m’masomphenya: “they will see things as if face-to-face” (interconfessional translation, publ. 1999) (Source: Wendland 1998, p. 69)
  • Mandarin Chinese yì xiàng (异象 / 異象), lit. “different (or: strange) appearance.” (Source: Zetzsche)

The Greek in the books of Revelation and Acts is translated as obq-rmwible: “look-dream” in Natügu. Brenda Boerger (in Beerle-Moor / Voinov, p. 162ff.) tells the story of that translation: “In the book of Revelation, the author, John, talks about having visions. Mr. Simon [the native language translator] and I discussed what this meant and he invented the compound verb obq-rmwible ‘look-dream’ to express it. Interestingly, during village testing no one ever had to ask what this neologism meant.”

See also see a vision.

trumpet

The musical instrument that is most often translated as “trumpet” in English is translated in the following ways:

In the UBS Helps for Translators‘ Human-made Things in the Bible (original title: The Works of Their Hands: Man-made Things in the Bible) it says the following:

Description: The trumpet was a wind instrument, frequently used in signaling, especially in connection with war. It was made of metal (the trumpets mentioned in Numbers 10:2 et al. were made of silver). It was a straight, narrow tube, about 40-45 centimeters (16-18 inches) in length. One end had a mouthpiece, while the other end was widened into a bell shape.

Usage: The sound on the trumpet was made by blowing into the mouthpiece in such a way as to vibrate the lips. The vibrations were magnified as they passed along the widening body of the tube.

The purpose of the trumpet in Israel was primarily to signal. Numbers 10 lists a variety of occasions in which the trumpets were to be used, including signaling the people to break camp, calling all of the people together for a meeting, calling only the leaders together, sounding an alarm at the beginning of a battle, and blowing them for liturgical purposes during certain festivals. It is significant that it was the task of the priests to sound the trumpets.

Translation: Generally speaking, translators may distinguish between the Hebrew words chatsotsrah and shofar by rendering chatsotsrah as “trumpet” or “bugle” and shofar with a more generic word for “horn” or with “ram’s horn.” Note the following comment in Translation commentary on Psalm 98:4 – 98:6: “In some languages it will not be possible to make a distinction between the two Hebrew terms translated trumpets and horn. In such cases the local term for a horn will be used. The Greek Old Testament used only one term.”

The exact meaning of the Aramaic word qeren in Daniel 3:5 and following is debated. It probably refers to a brass wind instrument and is best rendered “horn.”

The present-day equivalent for the Greek word salpigx is “bugle.” A bugle is generally smaller than a trumpet and is often associated with the sounding of military signals.

Man blowing a trumpet (source: Horace Knowles (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1954, 1967, 1972)

Quoted with permission.

See also trumpet / bugle.

complete verse (Daniel 7:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 7:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “I wanted to know about the ten horns and the one that came up later, which removed the other three. That horn had eyes and a mouth which would utter arrogant words. Its appearance was terrifying and scared people more than the others.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I wanted to understand the matter of the ten horns that were on his head and the matter of the other horn that came out later. I also wanted to understand what happened when the three earlier horns were uprooted. This other horn was more frightening than any of the other horns — it had eyes in its horn and a mouth which talked arrogantly.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I also asked him what is the meaning of those ten horns on the fourth animal and one more horn that sprouted and tore-off the three horns. This horn had eyes and mouth that boasted, and looking-at-(it) was more powerful than the other horns.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head, and about the horn that appeared later, which got rid of three of the other horns. I wanted to know what it meant that it had eyes and a mouth with which it spoke very boastfully. The beast that was represented by that horn was more terrifying than the other beasts.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 7:20

This verse in Revised Standard Version is a continuation of the same sentence begun in the previous verse, but it will probably be wise to begin a new sentence in the translation (as in Good News Translation), repeating the words “I wanted to know about.” And in some cases it will be more natural to add a word like “also”: “I also wanted to know.” Much of this verse is a repetition of material found in previous verses.

Ten horns: see verse 7.

The other horn … great things: see verse 8.

Seemed greater: literally “its visibility was greater.” This is new information not provided in verse 8. Although this horn was small, it appeared to be more imposing than the others. New Jerusalem Bible has “looked more impressive,” while New Jerusalem Bible has “was more conspicuous.”

Than its fellows: the Aramaic word translated fellows does not imply any particular relationship between the small horn and the ten others, as the English word “fellows” may imply. This is a simple comparison that can easily be rendered by “others,” as in New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and New English Bible/Revised English Bible, as well as Good News Translation.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .