soul

The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom).

The Mandarin Chinese línghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )

See also heart, soul, mind.

complete verse (Mark 8:37)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 8:37:

  • Uma: “For there isn’t anything that we can trade for that good life.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For there is no treasure/wealth in the world that can redeem him in order for him to have everlasting life.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For there is no possession which he can exchange in order to get eternal life.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because there is nothing that a person can exchange for his life.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Of course there’s nothing he could do that could free/save him there.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Peñoles Mixtec: “And it (all things in the world) will not do any good to help his soul.”
  • Tlahuitoltepec Mixe: “Nobody can put the price to a soul.”
  • El Nayar Cora: “There is nothing that he is able to do to buy back a person his own life when it is already lost.”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “What can a man give so that he wouldn’t come to ruin forever?” (Source for this and three above: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

Translation commentary on Mark 8:37

Exegesis:

antallagma tēs psuchēs autou ‘as an exchange for his life.’

antallagma (only here in Mark) ‘purchasing price,’ ‘exchange.’ The answer to this rhetorical question is that there is nothing which a man can give to compensate for the loss of his psuchē ‘(real) life,’ i.e. the loss of his very self. Cf. Lagrange: “a life which is his true life, his soul, himself.”

Translation:

Give in return for is in some languages equivalent to ‘pay as a price for keeping’ or ‘pay to get back,’ or ‘pay in exchange for.’

Life should be translated the same in this verse as in 8.36.

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 .