The Greek term that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”
In San Blas Kuna it is rendered as “help the heart,” in Laka, it is “take by the hand” in the meaning of “rescue” or “deliver,” in Huautla Mazatec the back-translation of the employed term is “lift out on behalf of,” in Anuak, it is “have life because of,” in Central Mazahua “be healed in the heart,” in Baoulé “save one’s head” (meaning to rescue a person in the fullest sense), in Guerrero Amuzgo “come out well,” in Northwestern Dinka “be helped as to his breath” (or “life”) (source: Bratcher / Nida), and in Noongar barrang-ngandabat or “hold life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
In South Bolivian Quechua it is “make to escape” and in Highland Puebla Nahuatl, it is “cause people to come out with the aid of the hand.” (Source: Nida 1947, p. 222.)
See also salvation.
The Greek that is translated in English typically as “I am the door (or: gate)” is translated in Lak as “I am the entrance.”
Vitaly Voinov tells this story:
“Field testing showed that some readers might find it hard to understand how a person could say about themselves that they are a door or gate. What exactly this metaphor means in this context was not well understood and caused what linguists call ‘processing difficulty.’ Even when it was explicated by ‘I am the door/gate for the sheep,’ it still caused problems in understanding. In other languages that have experienced a similar problem with this metaphor, translators have sometimes resorted to turning it into a simile, ‘I am like a door/gate.’ But in the Lak case, this would still leave unanswered the basic question of what the exact point of similarity is between Jesus and a door/gate. After much discussion, the team decided to try a different synonym, ‘I am the entrance.’ Further field testing should show whether this has solved the problem or not.”
Likewise, in Chichewa, “‘door’ is ‘that which shuts in,’ so naturally no one is going to be able to ‘enter by’ it. The solution in this case is not too hard to find: Christ is the ‘doorway,’ or entrance, to the house, building, stockpen, or whatever. When ‘open,’ he allows free passage; when ‘closed,’ one’s entry is barred.” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 121)
Following are a number of back-translations of John 10:9:
- Uma: “I am the door. Whoever enters through me, they receive goodness. They are like sheep who enter into the corral and go outside to get fertile [lit., fat] grass.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “I am figuratively the door,’ said Isa. ‘Whoever enters by me, is saved. He is free to go in and out and he is given good.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I am the door. If anyone enters in by means of me, I will free him from punishment. He is like my sheep who enters into the corral and goes out and looks for his food because I always watch over him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “I am the entrance. Whoever enters who walks-through me, he will be saved. He is compared to a sheep who both enters and goes-out to go graze.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “I am like the gateway. As many as enter here by me, because I am the one being believed-in/obeyed and trusted-in/relied-on by him now, certainly will be freed/saved. I will take good care of him, like the care of a shepherd of sheep when going in, going out, so that nothing will happen to him, but on the contrary he will always find good pastures.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “I am like a door. He whom I cause to pass through, he it is who will be saved. And he will do like a sheep which goes in and goes out from the fence and finds what to eat.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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