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, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding Joseph.
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Spanish uses a formal vs. informal second-person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Spanish Bibles all use only the informal second-person pronoun (tú), with the exception of Dios Habla Hoy (third edition: 1996) which also uses the formal pronoun (usted). In the referenced verses, the formal form is used.
Sources and for more information: P. Ellingworth in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 143ff. and R. Ross in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 217ff.
See also the use of the formal vs. the informal pronoun in the Gospels in Tuvan.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 44:24:
- Newari: “We went to our father and told him what you said.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
- Hiligaynon: “All of this we (excl.) told our (excl.) father when we (excl.) went-home.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- English: “When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.