complete verse (Leviticus 11:39)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 11:39:

  • Kupsabiny: “If an animal that is (normally) eaten dies and a person touches it, that person is unclean until sunset.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If an animal which you can eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until evening.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If an animal that may be eaten dies, whoever touches this considered dirty/unclean until (it) becomes-twilight/dusk.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘If an animal whose meat you are permitted to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass must not touch other people until that evening.” (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 11:39

Verses 39-40 repeat the content of verses 24-25 and clarify their meaning.

Any animal of which you may eat: this refers to any animal that the Jewish people were permitted to eat by their dietary laws. Again, it may be necessary to say “any animal not forbidden to you under ordinary circumstances.” Compare verse 34.

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 .