The Greek, and Latin that is translated as “creation” in English is translated in Lisu as ꓟꓵ ꓚꓰꓼ ꓟꓲ ꓚꓰꓼ — my tshe mi tshe, verbatim translated as “place — make — earth — make.” This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 58)
In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies creating out of nothing. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Creation” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed. The first example is from a language where God is always addressed distinctly formal whereas the second is one where the opposite choice was made.
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Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.
Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”
In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.
Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking (source Philip Noss).
In Dutch and Western Frisian translations, however, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.
This is an appropriate place for a paragraph break.
For the creation, serving thee who hast made it: The connector For may be omitted. Here Good News Translation takes a Greek sentence, which is not overly long in itself, and breaks it into shorter statements. This line is effectively translated “You created the universe; it is at your command.” But translators may also say “You created all things, and they serve you.”
Exerts itself to punish the unrighteous, and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in thee: The Greek verbs translated exerts and relaxes are terms used to describe the tuning of a stringed musical instrument: tightening the strings and loosening them. It is difficult to preserve the imagery, although Revised English Bible comes close: “strains to punish the unrighteous and relaxes into benevolence towards those who put their trust in you.” Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, however, convey the essential meaning. Exerts itself means to use its power for a determined purpose, as Good News Translation has it: “All creation uses its power to punish….” Good News Translation does well to introduce the last line with “but,” since it presents a contrast with the line before it. In kindness relaxes means that creation does not use its destructive forces (hail, rain, fire) against God’s people. Good News Translation renders this phrase “it becomes mild and kind.” Another possible approach for the last line is “but it holds back that power to protect the people who put their trust in you.”
An alternative model for this verse is:
• You created all things, and they serve you. All created things use their power to punish wicked people, but they hold back that power to protect the people who trust in you.
Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.
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