boat, ship

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated “boat” or “ship” in English is translated in Chichimeca-Jonaz as “that with which we can walk on water” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.), in Chitonga as a term in combination with bwato or “dugout canoe” (source: Wendland 1987, p. 72), and in Tangale as inj am or “canoe-of water” (inj — “canoe” — on its own typically refers to a traditional type of carved-out log for sleeping) (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).

In Kouya it is translated as ‘glʋ ‘kadʋ — “big canoe.”

Philip Saunders (p. 231) explains how the Kouya team arrived at that conclusion:

“Acts chapter 27 was a challenge! It describes Paul’s sea voyage to Italy, and finally Rome. There is a storm at sea and a shipwreck on Malta, and the chapter includes much detailed nautical vocabulary. How do you translate this for a landlocked people group, most of whom have never seen the ocean? All they know are small rivers and dugout canoes.

“We knew that we could later insert some illustrations during the final paging process which would help the Kouya readers to picture what was happening, but meanwhile we struggled to find or invent meaningful terms. The ‘ship’ was a ‘big canoe’ and the ‘passengers’ were ‘the people in the big canoe’; the ‘crew’ were the ‘workers in the big canoe’; the ‘pilot’ was the ‘driver of the big canoe’; the ‘big canoe stopping place’ was the ‘harbour’, and the ‘big canoe stopping metal’ was the ‘anchor’!”

In Lokạạ it is translated as ukalangkwaa, lit. “English canoe.” “The term was not coined for the Bible translation, but rather originated in colonial times when the English arrived in Nigeria on ships. The indigenous term for a canoe was modified to represent the large, ocean-going ship of the English.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

See also ships of Tarshish, harbor, anchor, and sailor.

complete verse (Luke 5:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 5:7:

  • Noongar: “When Simon Peter saw what happened, he knelt in front of Jesus and he said, ‘You go away from me, Lord! I am a sinful man!'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “They signaled/beckoned to their friends in the other boat to come help. They really came, and they filled both boats until they almost sank, carried by the weight.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They motioned to their companions in another boat telling them to come and help pulling it. They went there and filled the fish into the boat. Both boats were filled with fish therefore they almost sank.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they waved to their companions there in the other boat, that they should help them. And when their companions arrived, they put the fish in the two boats and the boats almost sank because they were so full.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So they signaled to their companions in another boat to come and help them. When they came then, they filled the two boats with fish and they were close to sinking.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “They waved/beckonned to their companions in the other boat causing them to help. Those two boats were loaded-to-capacity to almost sinking.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 5:7

Exegesis:

kai kateneusan tois metochois en tō heterō ploiō ‘and they signalled to their partners in the other boat.’

kataneuō ‘to signal,’ ‘to make signs.’

metochos used as a substantive, ‘partner,’ ‘companion.’ Here it has the same referent as koinōnoi in v. 10 (which see).

tou elthontas sullabesthai autois ‘to come and help them,’ articular accusative and infinitive in the genitive, loosely connected with the preceding, with final force. The subject is to be understood from tois metochois. sullambanō here the middle form with following dative, ‘to come to the aid of.’

hōste buthizesthai auta ‘so that they threatened to sink.’ hōste with following accusative and infinitive indicates real or possible result. Here the infinitive is in the present tense which implies that the sinking is not completed.

buthizō ‘to sink’ (transitive), here in the passive with intransitive meaning.

Translation:

They beckoned, or, ‘gesticulated,’ ‘waved their hands’ (some Indonesian languages), etc., and cf. on “to make signs” in 1.22.

Partners, or, ‘those of the same job,’ ‘those who worked together with them’ (Ekari).

The other boat, or, ‘the second boat,’ ‘the boat (that was still) near the shore’ (cf. Toraja-Sa’dan).

To come, or, to clarify the connexion with the main verb, ‘trying-to-make (them) come’ (Javanese), ‘and thus requested them to come.’

Help them may require further qualification, e.g. ‘assist them to draw up (the net)’ (cf. Batak Toba 1885), ‘help them with the catch’ (Willibrord); and see on 10.40.

They came and filled both the boats. The pronoun is ambiguous in that it goes with both verbs, whereas actually only the other crew ‘came’ but both crews ‘filled.’ This ambiguity is acceptable in some languages but in others one has to differentiate, cf. ‘they came and together they filled…,’ ‘they came and the men (in the two boats) filled…’; or, shifting the subject of the second verb, ‘they came and the two boats were filled’ (cf. Batak Toba, Marathi). The emphasis is on the being full, hence, ‘the boats were loaded (so) full that’ (Javanese). It may be preferable to add ‘with fish’ (Balinese, Cuyono).

They began to sink, cf. on “were breaking” in v. 6; to express ‘almost sinking’ Tboli says, ‘just only a little left, their not sinking.’

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.