fish

During the translation of one of the miracles of feeding or crowds with fish and bread into Yami, Graham Ogden tells this story:

“A small population on tiny Orchid Island, off the S-E coast of Taiwan, depended to a large extent on fishing as a source of food. When translating the story of the Five Loaves and Two Fish the translator asked a question that took me by surprise. He asked what kind of fish they were. I said they were just fish! But he said, I have to know what kind of fish they were because we have no word ‘fish.’ How come? I asked. He said we have no general word, because every fish has a name. So I suggested he choose a common type. He then said, But was it a fish that only men can eat or only women? Do you mean that there are cultural restrictions on who can eat which kind of fish? Yes, he said. Is there not one kind of fish that everyone can eat, given the circumstances? Oh yes, he said, there is one kind. Then that’s the name to use, I said. He was satisfied with that answer.”

bless (food and drink)

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated into English as “bless” or “blessed” in relation to food or drink is translated into San Mateo del Mar Huave as “place holiness on,” into Chol as “give it his good word” in Central Tarahumara, and into Southern Subanen as “pray(ed) about it” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961), and into San Blas Kuna as “put (one’s) mind to (one’s) Father” (source: Claudio and Marvel Iglesias in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 85ff.).

See also bless(ed).

complete verse (Mark 8:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 8:7:

  • Uma: “They also had several small fish. He also prayed for that and ordered his disciples to distribute it to the crowd.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There were also a few (lit. if how many pieces) fishes. After Isa had given-thanks to God, he also told/commanded the fishes to be given to the people.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There were also there a few small fish. And when he had given thanks for this, he commanded that they give these to the people.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There were also a few small dried-fish. Jesus thanked again, and had-(them) -distributed also.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There were also a few units of little-fish which they had. Jesus again gave thanks to God, and then he had his disciples hand them out also.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Mark 8:7

Text:

auta ‘them’ is omitted by Textus Receptus, but included by all modern editions of the Greek text.

Exegesis:

ichthudia (only here in Mark) ‘little fish’: as in the parallel incident in 6.38 these are to be thought of as prepared fish, not fresh.

eulogēsas auta ‘blessing them,’ i.e. ‘invoking God’s blessing upon them’; ‘thanking God for them’: here only in Mark with a direct object (cf. the discussion of the verb in 6.41). Probably (cf. Taylor) the phrase means ‘thanking God for them’: it is highly doubtful that the evangelist meant to draw any distinction between eulogeō in this verse, concerning the fish, and eucharisteō ‘give thanks’ in the previous verse, concerning the loaves.

eipen kai tauta paratithenai ‘he told (them) to place these also before (the crowd).’

paratithēmi (cf. previous verse) ‘place before.’

Translation:

Some languages carefully distinguish between fish when they are alive and swimming about, or just recently caught, and those which are being sold in the market place or prepared as food (cf. Spanish pez vs. pescado). The latter meaning is, of course, intended in this verse.

For bless see 6.41.

If the receptor language requires an object of the verb ‘commanded,’ one may insert ‘disciples.’ Often, however, this context does not require the customary verb for ‘command,’ as this may be too strong. Hence, one may render the passage as ‘told his disciples to…,’ ‘ordered his disciples to…,’ or ‘said to his disciples, Distribute also the fish to the people.’

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 .