naked

The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated as “naked” in English is translated in Enlhet with a figure of speech: “(one’s) smoothness.” (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )

In Elhomwe the word for “naked” is “shameful to use, and would never be used by a preacher in church.” Therefore “without clothes” is used. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

hungry

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated in English as “hungry” (or: “famished”) is translated in a number of ways:

  • Noongar: “without stomach” (koborl-wirt) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Kölsch translation (publ. 2017): nix zo Käue han or “have nothing to chew on” and singe Mage hät geknottert wie ne Hungk or “his stomach growled like a dog” (source: Jost Zetzsche)
  • German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999): Hunger überfiel ihn or “Hunger overtook (lit.: “attacked”) him” (in Matthew 4:2)
  • Kupsabiny: “hunger ate him” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “feeling tuber pains” (tubers are the main staple) (source Enggavoter 2004)

Translation commentary on Tobit 4:16

Good News Translation makes paragraph breaks at verses 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, but these are not necessary unless translators feel that such breaks would be natural in their language.

Give some of your food … some of your clothing: In a number of languages the inclusion of the phrase some of your … will seem unnatural and repetitive. In such cases, the model of Good News Translation will be simpler: “Give food to the hungry and clothes to people in need.”

For a comment on the naked, see 1.17.

Give all your surplus as alms: Good News Translation “If you are prosperous, give generously” diminishes the force of the command, which is actually “Anything you have over and above what you need, give away.” This is the meaning of New Revised Standard Version.

Do not let your eye begrudge your giving of alms is in Greek word for word the same as in 4.7, although neither Good News Translation nor New Revised Standard Version reflects this. “Give generously” and “Give from a heart full of generosity” are possible alternative models.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Tobit. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.