Language-specific Insights

exalted

The Greek that is translated as “exalted him” in English is translated in Kahua as “made his name sound big.”

angel's voice vs. God's voice

In the translation into Kahua, it needs to be specified whose voice is mentioned in Acts 10:13 and 15. Many commentaries assume it is God’s voice but it could also be the angel as in verse 3, since God is referred to in the third person in verse 15. The translators decided for God’s voice.

dual vs. plural (Acts 7:16)

In this episode in Acts it is ambiguous whether only Jacob and Joseph or Jacob and all of the other patriarchs were were taken back to Shechem. In languages that distinguish between a dual and a plural this ambiguity has to be resolved. In the translation into Kahua only two bodies were taken back because Joseph’s body is specifically mentioned in Exod 13:19 and Josh 24:32.

Dorcas (Δορκάς)

In both Fuyug and Kahua “Δορκάς” (Dorcas) was translated rather than transliterated. It came out as “nanny goat,” which was quite acceptable as people can have animal names, and goats are not regarded with disfavor.

object in passive voice construct

In Kahua, it was not possible to omit a grammatical object in the passive voice construct that described that the lame man was carried. The translation added the “wantoks,” i.e. people of the same language group, probably from the same village.

worldly people

The phrase that is translated as “worldly people” or “people who are controlled by their natural desires” in English versions is translated into Kahua with the idiom that says “people who follow their noses.”

wandering stars

The phrase that is translated into English as “wandering stars” is translated into Kahua with the idiom for shooting stars: “droppings of stars.”

unstable

The term that is translated as “unstable” in English is rendered into Kahua with the simile that means “like butterflies.”