cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” (Source: Don Slager) Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Matumbi cardinal directions are defined as in relation to another place. “East” for instance typically is “toward the beach” since the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas. “North” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right.

complete verse (Daniel 8:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 8:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “As I still thought about this things, suddenly a he-goat crossed swiftly from the west without touching the ground. This he-goat had a big horn which grew out between its eyes.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “While I was thinking about this, a goat suddenly came running in haste from the west. That goat passed over the whole world in haste without touching the ground. Between his eyes was one amazing horn.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “As I was-watching this, a goat suddenly came from the west. It crossed the earth swiftly with its feet not even touching the ground. It had an extraordinary horn in between its eyes.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “While I was thinking about what I had seen, in the vision I saw a goat come from the west. It ran across the land so quickly, that it seemed like its feet did not touch the ground. This goat had one very large horn between its eyes.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 8:5

As I was considering: compare 7.8. The Good News Translation rendering gives the impression that Daniel was thinking about what he had already seen, when the goat appeared. But New Jerusalem Bible translates “This is what I observed:…,” making the verb relate to what follows. Most versions, however, adopt the same solution as Good News Translation and indicate that he was reflecting on what he had already seen. This is the recommended interpretation.

Behold: see verse 3.

He-goat: this is not normal English usage, so Good News Translation drops the he-, and the gender is made clear by the use of masculine pronouns. Some languages have a separate word for a male goat. If there is no special term, the fact that the goat was male must be conveyed in the most natural way possible.

From the west: again, the point of reference is that of the writer, writing from Judea. In many languages it may be necessary to say “from the side where the sun sets.”

Across the face of the whole earth: this clause contains two potential translation problems. In many languages the earth is not depicted as having a face. The obvious meaning is the “surface” of the earth. Also this expression constitutes an exaggeration for dramatic effect. If there is a danger that it will be understood literally in the translator’s language, it may have to be reduced. But in the context of an apocalyptic vision, the overstatement may be easily understood. The reference to the face of the whole earth implies conquering all nations, but this should not be made explicit in the translation of the vision itself.

Without touching the ground: this is not a reference to the use of airplanes! Good News Translation makes it clear that the animal is “moving so fast” that it appears not to touch the ground as it moves. Most translators should probably adopt a similar solution, to avoid misunderstanding on the part of the readers.

A conspicuous horn: that is, a single horn that was very prominent. The rendering of the word conspicuous should make it clear that this was really something quite spectacular that could be seen without any effort. It may be indicated in a footnote that this single horn represents Alexander the Great, the founder and first ruler of the Greek Empire (see verse 21).

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 .