speaking out boldly

The phrase that is translated into English as “spoke out boldly” is translated into Afar as intî qasuk ken lih yabteeh: “spoke with them having red eyes.” (Source: Loren Bliese)

In Low German is is translated as keen Bladd vörn Mund nähmen, lit. “cover the mouth with nothing” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

The same Low German phrase is also used in 2 Corinthians 6:11.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (2Cor. 6:11)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (2 Corinthians 6:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 6:11:

  • Uma: “My Korintus relatives! We(excl.) have made-plain our (excl.) words speaking to you, we (excl.) haven’t hidden anything. You see our (excl.) love for you.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Our (excl.) friends there in Korinto, we (excl.) have told you all that is in our (excl.) liver. Great is our (excl.) love for you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for you, my brothers there in Corinth, we have not hidden from you what we are thinking. You are always precious in our breath.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Oh my-brothers from-Corinto, there is nothing in my mind that I haven’t told you. Big indeed is my love to you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Corinthians, through the really big-size of our (excl.) valuing of you, all that is inside us (excl.), we are now revealing it.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Listen my dear brothers, you people of the city of Corinth. Concerning myself, everything that lies on my heart is what I tell you, there isn’t any word I keep back. Very much do I love you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 6:11

Our mouth is open refers to what he has just said; this is figurative language meaning that he has “spoken frankly” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version) without holding anything back. Revised English Bible has “we have spoken very frankly,” while Moffatt translates “I am keeping nothing back from you,” and Phillips reads “we are hiding nothing from you.”

The term of address, Corinthians, will fit more naturally at the beginning of the verse in many languages. Note that Good News Translation fills it out by saying “Dear friends in Corinth,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “people of Corinth,” since a more literal translation may sound too harsh.

Our heart is wide is also figurative language. The meaning is not so much that Paul and his associates have told the Corinthians everything that they were thinking. A broadened heart is rather the sign of great affection (see 7.3). In view of this some possible models are “we love you with all our hearts” (Good News for the World) or “there is room in our hearts for you” (Contemporary English Version).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .