The Greek and Aramaic that is translated as “mystery” in English is translated as “wisdom which was hidden” in Mezquital Otomi, as “that was not possible to be understood before” in Huehuetla Tepehua, as “which was not known in time past” in Central Tarahumara (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Newari as “hidden meaning” or “hidden matter” (source: Newari Back Translation).
boldness
The Greek that is typically translated as “boldness” in English is often translated in the the widely-used Mandarin Chinese Union Version with an existing Chinese proverb: tǎnrán wújù (坦然无惧) or “calm and fearless.” (Source: Zetzsche)
In Makonde it is translated as “being strong in heart.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
gospel
In choosing a word for the Greek that is typically translated as “gospel” in English, a number of languages construct a phrase meaning “good news,” “joyful report” or “happiness-bringing words.” In some instances such a phrase may be slightly expanded in order to convey the proper meaning, e.g. “new good word” (Tzotzil), or it may involve some special local usage:
- “good story” (Navajo (Dinė))
- “joyful telling” (Tausug)
- “joyful message” (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
- cohuen ñoñets or “message of God” (Shilluk) (source: Nida 1964, p. 237)
- “good news” (Yanesha’) (source: Martha Duff in Holzhausen 1991, p. 11)
- “voice of good spirit” (San Blas Kuna) (source: Claudio and Marvel Iglesias in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 85ff. )
- suviśēṣattinṟe (0സുവിശേഷം) or “good narrative” (Malayalam)
- susmachar (ସୁସମାଚାର) or “good matter” (Odia)
- suvārteya (ಸುವಾರ್ತೆಯ) or “good word” (Kannada) (source for this and two above: Y.D. Tiwari in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 132ff. )
- the German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) translates as “all-transformative good news” (alles verändernde gute Botschaft), also “good news”
Vitaly Voinov tells this story about the translation into Rutul (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):
“In Rutul, it was only during the most recent consultant checking session that I realized that the Rutul word for Gospel – Incir (from Arabic إنجيل — Injil) — sounds and looks exactly like the word that means ‘fig’ in Rutul. This is a case of homonymy, in which two completely non-related words from differing historical sources have come to sound exactly alike. Most Rutul speakers know that incir means ‘fig’ because they grow this fruit in their yard or buy it at the market every week. However, because the religious sphere of discourse was heavily disparaged during the Soviet era, most people simply never encountered Incir with the meaning of ‘Gospel.’ This meaning of the word, which Rutuls of the pre-Soviet era knew from the Koran, simply fell into disuse and never had much reason for returning into contemporary Rutul since there is no Christian church established among the people. So if the translator continues to use the term Incir as the rendering for ‘Gospel,’ he runs the risk that most readers will, at best, read the word with a smile because they know that it also means ‘fig,’ and, at worst, will completely misunderstand the word. The seemingly ‘easy’ solution in this case is for the translator to use a Rutul neologism meaning ‘Joyful Message’ or ‘Good News,’ [see above] instead of Incir; but in fact it is not all that easy to make this change if the translator himself insists on using the historical word because at least some Rutuls still understand it as meaning ‘Gospel.’ This is a situation in which the translation team has to gradually grow into the understanding that a fully intelligible translation of Scripture is preferable to one that maintains old words at the cost of alienating much of the readership.”
For “good news,” see also Isaiah 52:7.
complete verse (Ephesians 6:19)
Following are a number of back-translations of Ephesians 6:19:
- Uma: “And pray for me too, that when I speak, God gives me words that are on-target/correct, in order that I will be brave to announce the Good News that men did not know from long ago.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “And ask/pray also for me that God will give me words which hit-the-mark, and so that I also may be bold to explain about the good news from God. This was formerly not known but now it is made known to the people.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Pray also for me, that God might give me the wisdom to preach His word. And pray also that I might not be afraid, but rather I will be given the proper thing to say so that I may preach the Good News which was hidden long ago.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Please also pray-for me so that God will teach what I am to say when I preach and so that I will become-brave to make-known the good news which was not made-known previously.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “And also me, hopefully you also pray too that God will give me correct speaking, so that I can boldly make-clear/explain this hidden Good News that the Lord made known.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Also pray to God for me in order that God will give me the word I will speak. And there where I speak the word, I will be strengthened to speak. I will not fear to tell the people about the good news which the people do not know of.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Japanese benefactives (inotte)
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, inotte (祈って) or “pray” 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).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Translation commentary on Ephesians 6:19
This verse continues from verse 18 as part of the sentence which begins with verse 17. It is parallel to Colossians 4.3, where Paul asks for his readers’ prayers for the same purpose. The verse in Greek begins “and for me,” which may be understood more precisely “and especially for me” (so Abbott, Barth).
In a number of languages it is rather difficult to render pray also for me. In fact, it may be necessary to expand considerably such a statement on the basis of what is clearly implied by the text, for example, “also pray to God that he will help me.” In some languages the only way in which one may indicate the person who is benefited by a particular event is to use an expression involving “to help.”
God will give me a message translates a passive construction in Greek, “a message may be given me,” which is a common way in the New Testament to refer an action to God without using his name. However, in many instances it is difficult, if not impossible, to speak of “giving a person a message.” The more normal form is to say “tell me what to say,” and in this context one might very well translate God will give me a message as “God will show me what I should say” or “God will instruct me as to what I should say.”
When I am ready to speak translates “in the opening of my mouth”; compare New English Bible “that I may be granted the right words when I open my mouth.” It would probably be wrong to place too much emphasis upon “being ready,” and therefore it may very well be appropriate to translate when I am ready to speak as “when I speak” or “when I begin to speak.”
Speak boldly translates “in boldness” (see the noun “boldness” in 3.12). In a number of languages speak boldly is appropriately translated as “speak regardless of who may be listening” or “speak without caring who listens” or “speak regardless of what might happen.”
The purpose of the writer’s speaking is to make known the gospel’s secret. The early Greek manuscript Vaticanus omits “of the gospel” (as do some versions and Church Fathers), so that the text reads “to make known the secret.” New English Bible omits and translates “make known his hidden purpose.” But the weight of the textual evidence favors the inclusion of “of the gospel.” The word secret (mustērion) occurs elsewhere in Ephesians in 1.9; 3.3, 4, 9; 5.32. Here “the secret of the gospel” is the truth that is revealed in the proclamation of the gospel; Westcott defines it as “the revelation contained in the gospel.” In Ephesians the secret now revealed is that Gentiles and Jews alike and together are one new people, one body, in their life in union with Christ.
Make known the gospel’s secret may be rendered as “make people know about what hasn’t been known before about the Good News.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1982. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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