Pentecost

The Greek that is translated as “Pentecost” in English is translated in Huichol as “festival of the 7th week” It was rendered thus because the name of Pentecost would be equated with a sect only, and a harvest festival in late May would strain credibility. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Pentecost (image)

Hand colored stencil print on washi by Sadao Watanabe (1969).

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe.

For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

 

 

complete verse (Acts 2:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:1:

  • Uma: “When the big day of the Yahudi that was called Pentakosta Day really came, all the followers of Yesus gathered in-one-group.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When the day arrived which they called Pentekostes, all the disciples of Isa gathered in a certain house.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when it was already the day of the feast which is called Pentecost, all the believers were gathered in one house.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When the fiesta called Pentecostes arrived, all who believed in Jesus were gathered-together in one house.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The Day of Petecostes arrived again. All the apostles, together with those other believers in Jesus, were gathered together up in a house.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 2:1

The day of Pentecost (Greek pentecostē “the fiftieth [day]”) was the fiftieth day after Passover; it was the day the Jews celebrated the Feast of the Grain Harvest (see Exodus 23.16; 34.22; Leviticus 23.15-21; and Deuteronomy 16.9-12). It is important to have a marginal note at this point to explain what Pentecost is. In the text, one can employ a phrase such as “day which was called Pentecost,” or “day which was called fifty days after,” but this latter type of expression is rarely acceptable.

All the believers represents the Greek word all which may refer either to all the Christians or merely to all the apostles. Most translations choose to make this ambiguous, whereas the Good News Translation has made it explicit, that is, the total Christian community. In a number of languages one cannot employ a term such as “believers” without indicating the one in whom they believed, for example, “all those who believed in Jesus.” There may be in some languages a problem with the use of “all,” since this is obviously not an absolute “all.” Therefore, it may be necessary to say “all the believers there,” referring to the believers who were presumably associated with the group in Jerusalem.

In one place translates the Greek phrase which was discussed in 1.15; whereas it had one meaning in the earlier verse, it is obvious that it is used here in the sense of “at the same place.” The expression in one place is further expanded in verse 2 to indicate that this refers to a particular house. It may, therefore, be necessary to be somewhat more specific and indicate “in the same house.” Otherwise the reader may have the impression that it was the same town or the same land, since a general term such as “place” may not exist in the receptor language.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .