14Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 33:14:
Newari: “So you go first. I will come slowly with these children and cattle and will meet you at Mt. Seir.'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Better yet, [you (sing.)] just go-ahead of us (excl.) now. We (excl.) will- just -little-by-little follow you (sing.) according-to the speed of the children and of the animals ahead of us (excl.). We (incl.) will- just -meet-each-other there at Seir.'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “You go ahead of me. I will lead the animals slowly, but I will walk as fast as the children and animals can walk. I will catch up with you in Seir, in the land where the descendants of Edom live.'” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person. In these verses, however, the more venerable anata-sama (あなた様) is used, which combines anata with the with a formal title -sama.
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, osusumi (お進み) or “proceed” 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).”
Let my lord pass on before his servant: Jacob makes his own proposal—he urges Esau not to accompany him but to go ahead and not wait. Doubtless Esau understands that Jacob is determined to go at his own pace and to his own destination. His servant must often be expressed as “your servant” or “before me who serves you.”
Lead on slowly: lead on translates a verb that means to go by stages, to move from one place to the next on a journey. The thought is that Jacob and all his people and animals will move bit by bit (to where there is pasture and water for the animals): “We will come behind slowly” or “… not traveling too fast.”
According to the pace of the … children: that is, “as fast as the livestock and the children are able to walk.” See Good News Translation.
Until I come to my lord in Seir: come to here means “catch up with,” “meet,” “reach.” We may also say, for example, “until we meet up with you again…,” “we will catch up with you…,” or “until we meet again in Seir, my lord.” Good News Translation has “in Edom.” See 32.3 for the relation of Seir to Edom.
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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 to do this is through the usage of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, mairu (参る), a humble form of kuru (来る) or “come” is used.
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