complete verse (Mark 10:36)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 10:36:

  • Uma: “Yesus said; ‘What do you request that I give you?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ said Isa.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said, ‘What do you want?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘OK, what do you want me to do for you?’ said Jesus.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘What is it you want to ask for?’ said Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

Translation commentary on Mark 10:36

Text:

After thelete ‘you want’ Westcott and Hort, Lagrange, Kilpatrick, and Taylor omit me ‘me,’ which is included by the majority of modern editions of the Greek text.

Exegesis:

The construction of the Greek is rather uncommon (with the omission of me ‘me’ the construction is more nearly normal), but the sense is clear enough: Revised Standard Version ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ accurately translates the Greek.

Translation:

In some instances said must be rendered as ‘asked’ because of the following question.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .