Joshua

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Joshua” is translated in Swiss-German Sign Language with a sign that depicts a trumpet of rams’ horn, referring to Joshua 6:4 and following.


“Joshua” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Joshua .

complete verse (Joshua 6:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 6:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “Joshua had earlier told those young men, ‘Do not say anything until I say, ‘Shout!’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Joshua gave the people an order like this, "Do not shout! Do not even speak a single word with your mouth until I tell you. Shout only when I say, ‘shout!’"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But Josue told the people not to-shout or to-make-noise before he commands (them) to-shout.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But the rest of the people were silent, because Joshua had commanded them, ‘Do not make a war cry. Do not yell or say anything until the day when I tell you to shout. On that day, you must shout loudly!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Joshua 6:10

A shift may be made to indirect discourse: “But Joshua had told his men, ‘Do not shout or say a word until I give the order.’ ” The two expressions not to shout, not to say a word of Good News Translation represent a combining and shortening of the Hebrew “not shout or let your voice be heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth” (Revised Standard Version). Further combining is possible: “But Joshua had told his men, ‘Do not say a word until I give the order for you to shout.’ ”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .