The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is transliterated as “Levi” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies a menorah referring to the temple service of the tribe of the Levites. The same sign is also used for the tribe. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 33:8:
Kupsabiny: “He said about the clan of Levi, ‘Oh, God, show your power through Thummim and show (it) even through Urim. Those were the people you tested at Massah and you quarreled with them at Meribah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “About the tribe of Levi he said, "You have given your Thummim and Urim into the hands of the descendants of Levi, the people you love. You tested them at Massah, You struggle with them at the waters of Meribah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Moises said concerning the tribe of Levi, ‘O LORD, you (plur.) gave the Thummim and Urim to your faithful servant who are the descendants of Levi. Your tested them in Masa and rebuked beside the water/spring of Meriba.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I say this about the tribe of Levi: Yahweh, give to those who are dedicated to you the sacred stones that they will use to find out what you want to be done; You tested them at a spring in the desert, a spring that they named Massah and also named Meribah to find out if they would remain loyal to/continue to obey you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, ataete (与えて) or “give” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 are (され) 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, arasow-are-ru (争われる) or “contend” is used.
And of Levi he said: again it is better to say something like “About the tribe of Levi he said” (Good News Translation) or “About the people of the tribe of Levi….”
Give to Levi: as the Revised Standard Version footnote states, this is from the Septuagint; it is not found in the Hebrew text as we have it. New Revised Standard Version follows Revised Standard Version but adds a Qumran manuscript in support of this addition. It is recommended that it be kept in translation. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({C} rating) prefers the following text:
to Levi your Thummim were given,
and your Urim (to a man, your holy one).
Levi … thy godly one: the name Levi and the expression thy godly one are parallel; thy godly one may be translated “the one who is dedicated to God,” or “you people who are God’s priests.”
The Thummim and Urim were two objects (perhaps stones) used by the priest to determine God’s will (see Exo 28.30; Lev 8.8; 1 Sam 14.41-42). It is not known precisely how they were used. It may be good to give this information in a footnote, as Good News Translation does: “urim and thummim: Two objects used by the priest to determine God’s will.” Contemporary English Version leaves out the reference to Urim and Thummim; but it is recommended that translators retain it.
Thou didst test … thou didst strive: these are parallel and close in meaning. To test someone is to subject that person to hardships and difficulties in order to reveal that person’s character. Another way to express this is “You caused them to endure hardships at Massah, to see what kind of people they were” (see also 8.2). To strive is to fight against. Good News Translation “proved them true” seems too far wide of the mark.
For Massah see 6.16; 9.22; Exo 17.7; for Meribah see 32.51; Exo 17.7.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.