The Greek term that is translated in English as “bread” or “loaf” is translated in Samo, it is translated as “Sago,” which serves “like ‘bread’ for the Hebrews, as a generic for food in the Samo language. It is a near-perfect metonymy that has all the semantic elements necessary for effective communication.” (Source: Daniel Shaw in Scriptura 96/2007, p. 501ff.)
In Chol it is translated as waj, the equivalent of a tortilla. (Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight)
John Beekman (in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 180f. ) explains: “The word ‘bread’ in Scripture primarily occurs as either a specific term for bread (including the Lord’s Supper), or as a generic term for food. It is not surprising, however, the some aboriginal groups use something other than bread as the staff of life. The Chols, with their cultural focus in the cultivation of corn, use waj, a type of thin corn flake. Since a meal is not complete without this main item of food, the term has been extended to include any other foods which may be served along with waj. While bread is known to them, its use is limited to a few occasions during the year when it functions as a dessert. In translating this term in the Chol New Testament, consistent use has been made of the word waj whenever the function of bread as a basic food was in focus. John 6:35, “I am the bread of life,” was thus translated with this word. If the word for bread had been used, it was feared that the Chol would compare Christ to the desirable, but not absolutely necessary, dessert.”
Robert Bascom adds his thoughts to this in relation to other Mayan languages (in Omanson 2001, p. 260): “In many Mayan languages, ‘bread’ can be translated waj or kaxlan waj. The first term literally means anything made from corn meal, while the second term literally means ‘foreigner’s waj,’ and refers to the local wheat-based sweet breads which are so popular within the broader European-influenced culture of the region. On the one hand, waj would be a better dynamic equivalent in cases where ‘bread’ meant ‘food,’ but in cases where the focus is literal or the reference well-known, kaxlan waj would preserve a flour-based meaning (though in biblical times barley was more in use than wheat) and not insert corn into a time and place where it does not belong. On the other hand kaxlan waj is not the staff of life, but refers to a local delicacy. In cases such as these, it is even tempting to suggest borrowing pan, the Spanish word for ‘bread,’ but native speakers might respond that borrowing a foreign word is not necessary since both waj and kaxlan waj are native terms that cover the meaning (though in this case, perhaps not all that well).”
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “Sabbath” in English is rendered as “day we rest” in Tzotzil, in Mairasi as “Jew’s Rest Day,” in Quiotepec Chinantec as “day when people of Israel rested,” in Shilluk as “day of God,” in Obolo as Usen Mbuban or “Holy Day,” and in Mandarin Chinese as ānxírì (安息日) or “rest day” (literally: “peace – rest – day”).
(Sources: Tzotzil: Marion Cowan in Notes on Translation with Drill, p. 169ff; Mairasi: Enggavoter 2004; Quiotepec Chinantec: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.; Shilluk: Nida 1964, p. 237; Obolo: Enene Enene; Chinese: Jost Zetzsche)
In the old Khmer version as well as in the first new translation this term was rendered as “day of rest” (Thngai Chhup Somrak / ថ្ងៃឈប់សំរាក). Considered inadequate to convey its religious meaning (not only about cessation of work, but also in honor of Yahweh as the Creator), the committee for the Today’s Khmer Version (publ. 2005) decided to keep the Hebrew word and use its transliterated form Thgnai Sabath (ថ្ងៃសប្ប័ទ). “The Buddhist word Thngai Seil ‘day of merits’ used by some Catholics was once under consideration but was rejected because it did not receive unanimous support.” (Source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 233ff.)
In Spanish, the translation is either día de reposo (“day of rest”) or sábado (usually: “Saturday,” derived from the Greek and Hebrew original. Nida (1947, p. 239f.) explains that problem for Spanish and other languages in its sphere of influence: “In translation ‘Sabbath’ into various aboriginal languages of Latin America, a considerable number of translators have used the Spanish sábado, ‘Saturday,’ because it is derived from the Hebrew sabbath and seems to correspond to English usage as well. The difficulty is that sábado means only ‘Saturday’ for most people. There is no religious significance about this word as the is with ‘Sabbath’ in English. Accordingly the [readers] cannot understand the significance of the persecution of Jesus because he worked on ‘Saturday.’ It has been found quite advantageous to use the translation ‘day of rest,’ for this accurately translated the Hebrew meaning of the term and resolves the problem in connection with the prohibitions placed upon some types of activities.”
In French Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts closing of the blinds of a store:
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 14:1:
Noongar: “One Sabbath Day, Jesus went eating at the house of a Pharisee. He was well known and people were watching Jesus.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “One time on Sabat Day, Yesus went to eat at the house of a leader of the Parisi people. While he was there, they watched him careful to find his wrong.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “On one day of-no-work Isa went to eat to the house of one of the leaders of the Pariseo. When he was there, the people there observed him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now on another Sabbath day, Jesus was invited again by one of the rulers of the Pharisees, to eat in his house. And the enemies of Jesus, they were carefully watching him to see if he would break the law.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “On a certain Saturday which was for-resting, Jesus went to go join-in-eating in the house of an important (lit. high) Pharisee, and they carefully-watched him (to see) what he would do,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “On another Day of Rest, Jesus was invited to eat at the house of an important Pariseo. Well, when they were there at the house now, the things Jesus did were-really -being-watched-carefully.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
kai egeneto ‘and it happened,’ cf. on 1.8. The connecting clause begins either with kai autoi (cf. Revised Standard Version), or with kai idou, in v. 2 (cf. The Four Gospels – a New Translation), preferably the former.
en tō elthein auton ‘after his going,’ or ‘when he had gone,’ because of the aorist tense of elthein.
eis oikon tinos tōn archontōn [tōn] Pharisaiōn ‘into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees’ (cf. The Four Gospels – a New Translation, Phillips, New English Bible), or ‘into the house of one of the rulers who were Pharisees’ (cf. Revised Standard Version, An American Translation), preferably the former. archontes is to be understood in the more general sense of ‘leaders,’ ‘leading personalities.’ For the Pharisees cf. on 5.17.
sabbatō ‘on a sabbath,’ goes with elthein.
phagein arton lit. ‘in order to eat bread’ (final infinitive), i.e. ‘to take a meal,’ ‘to dine.’
kai autoi ēsan paratēroumenoi auton ‘and they were watching him closely,’ durative imperfect. kai at the beginning of the apodosis is due to Hebrew idiom. autoi refers to those present at the meal as if they had been mentioned already previously. For paratēreō cf. on 6.7.
Translation:
He went to dine …, preferably, ‘he/Jesus had gone into (or, entered) … to dine (there)’; the attention is on the moment when the guests are arriving.
To dine in the house of, cf. 11.37. Since an invitation is implied, one should avoid a rendering suggesting that Jesus went on his own initiative.
A ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, preferably “one of the leading Pharisees” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, and see Exegesis), ‘a prominent/important (lit. most-in-front) Ph.’ (Bahasa Indonesia RC), ‘one of the notable Pharisees’ (cf. Medumba), ‘one of the big men of the Pharisee group.’
They were watching him. The pronoun refers to the host and his friends. For the verb see 6.7; Sranan Tongo uses here ‘they held him good in the eye.’
Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.
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