The Greek and Latin that is translated as “resurrection” in English is translated in Chicahuaxtla Triqui and Pohnpeian as “live-up” (i.e. return to life) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel) and in Iloko as panagungar: a term that stems “from the word ‘agungar,’ an agricultural term used to describe the coming back to life of a plant which was wilting but which has been watered by the farmer, or of a bulb which was apparently dead but grows again.” (Source: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )
In Estado de México Otomi, it is translated as “people will be raised from the dead,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “the dead having to come to life again,” in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “arose from the grave” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), and in Kriol as gidap laibala brom dedbala or “get up alive from the dead” (source: Sam Freney in this article .)
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 12:18:
Uma: “After that, several Saduki people came to Yesus. Those Saduki people were Yahudi religion leaders who rejected [the concept of] dead people living again on a future day. When those Saduki people arrived, they said to Yesus:” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “After that some Sadduseo went to Isa, (they are) Yahudi who do not believe that the dead will live again in the last day/in later days. They asked him, they said,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There were also some Sadducee people who went to Jesus. The Sadducees are the Jews who believe that nobody will be raised from the dead in the future.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “There were also some Sadducees who went to Jesus. They are a party/group of Jews who say that the dead don’t live again. They said to him,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “The next who went to Jesus were the Saduceo, for they questioned Jesus. As for these Saduceo, they uphold that those who have died aren’t made alive again.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Saddoukaioi (only here in Mark) ‘Sadducees’: as in the similar case in 10.12, the meaning here is ‘some Sadducees.’ They were not so much a religious party (as the Pharisees), but more of a social class, or elite, composed mostly of the priests (cf. Acts 5.17). The traditionalists of their day, they rejected all “innovations”, including the idea of the resurrection, angels, etc. (cf. Acts 23.8).
hoitines legousin ‘who say,’ ‘who affirm’: this is said of the Sadducees as a party, not just of the individuals who came to Jesus.
anastasin mē einai ‘resurrection not to be’: the indirect form, with the verb in the infinitive and the subject in the accusative case (cf. 8.27). The equivalent, in the direct form, is ‘there is no resurrection.’
anastasis (12.23; cf. anistēmi 8.31) ‘resurrection’: this, of course, is eschatological, referring to the resurrection on the last day.
epērōtōn (cf. 5.9) ‘they asked (a question).’
Translation:
Who say there is no resurrection must usually be brought closer to the subject expression, either as a relative clause, e.g. ‘the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him’ or as a paratactically combined statement, e.g. ‘the Sadducees say there is no resurrection; they came to him.’
In view of the fact that resurrection is a process, it is very commonly translated as a verb expression: ‘to rise from the dead is not’ (Sediz), ‘the dead will never rise’ (Southern Subanen), ‘people do not rise from the dead’ (Amganad Ifugao).
Saying, as an extra verb of speaking, may not be required in some languages; in fact, it may be entirely misleading after a statement of ‘asking’ or ‘questioning.’ It should be noted, however, that the immediately following sentences are not questions. The question does not come until verse 23, and hence the introductory verb should agree with receptor-language usage.
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 .
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