complete verse (Leviticus 11:38)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 11:38:

  • Kupsabiny: “But if water has been poured on those seeds and a dead animal falls there, that seed is unclean.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If this carcass falls [lit.: goes] down on seed that has been soaked in water, the seed will be unclean.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “but if the seed falls-upon that-which has-been-soaked in water, this seed will-become dirty/unclean.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But if water has been put on the seeds and then a carcass falls on them, the seeds must be thrown away.” (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 11:38

But: showing the contrast with the actual seed mentioned in the previous verse.

If water is put on the seed: the soaking of the seed in water is seen by some commentators as preparation for planting, but others see it as preparing the seed to be eaten (see Bible en français courant). If the receptor language permits, it is probably best not to make too much explicit here, since we are not certain about the intention of the writer. In most cases it should be possible to translate “soaking in water” without indicating the purpose of this action.

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 .