midwife

The Hebrew that is translated as “midwife” in English is translated in Kwere as “old woman.” (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In the Thai Common Language version it is “a woman who helps the womb.” (See Translation commentary on Exod 1:15.)

complete verse (Exodus 1:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 1:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “And/But one day, the king called those women/midwives and said to them, ‘Oh, what are you doing? Why have you left the boys of the Israelites to live/survive?’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Thus the Pharaoh of Egypt summoned them and asked them, ‘Why have you done like this? Why don’t you kill the male children?’” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So the king of Egipto had-summoned/called the midwives and asked, ‘Why have- you (plur.) -done this? Why have- you (plur.) -allowed the newly-born males/(boys) to-live?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “It came about that the great chief called those two women to come to him and then asked them like this, ‘Why is it that you did like this? What did you leave the male children staying [well] for?’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Therefore, king of Egypt again call them here, said to them «What is it that you do for it thus? What is it that you leave for it male children?»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “So the king summoned the two midwives and said to them, ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the baby boys live?’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Japanese benefactives (itte)

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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, itte (行って) or “go” 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 Exod 1:18

The king … called the midwives simply means that “the king sent for the midwives” (Good News Translation). In some languages this will be rendered as “had people go and bring the midwives to him.” The king’s question is asking only one thing, not two. The this in Why have you done this refers to what follows, namely, “Why have you … let the male children live?” The Hebrew style suggests the king’s feeling of desperation. If this is not otherwise clear, the question may be made into two questions as Good News Translation does: “Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the boys live?” Or the second clause may be introduced with a participle: “Why have you acted thus, allowing the boys to live?” (New American Bible). However, in certain languages a way to show this desperation is to combine the two clauses and say, for example, “Why have you let the male children live like this?” where the words “like this” are equivalent to Why have you done this …? In some languages the question “Why have you let the male children live” may give the impression that they killed the female children. In such a case one may use the model “Why have you not killed the male children?”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .