complete verse (Leviticus 11:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 11:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “They are not clean as far as you (plur.) are concerned. Do not eat their meat or even touch those animals when they have died.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Since such animals are detestable to you, it is not OK to eat their flesh, furthermore, it is not OK even to touch their carcasses.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) may eat any/whatever animals are-living in the water which has fins and scales. But you (plur.) are- not -to-eat what does-not-have fins and scales, and you (plur.) are- not -to-touch their dead bodies. You (plur.) are-to-consider these animals detestable.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You must despise them, and you must not eat their meat, and you must detest their carcasses.” (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 Leviticus 11:11

This verse is essentially a repetition of verse 8, but with the addition of the idea of abomination (two times) from verse 10. Again the Good News Translation rendering, “must be considered unclean,” is not as strong as is desired. For the last part of the verse, some versions may say “Abstain from eating them and avoid all contact with their dead bodies.”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .