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.

wild animal

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated in English as “wild animal” or similar is translated in Newari as “animal that lives in the jungle.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)

forget

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “forget” in English is translated in Noongar as dwangka-anbangbat, lit. “ear-lose.” (Source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

See also remember.

addressing God

Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed. The first example is from a language where God is always addressed distinctly formal whereas the second is one where the opposite choice was made.

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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.

In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.

Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”

In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.

Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking (source Philip Noss).

In Dutch and Western Frisian translations, however, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.

See also female second person singular pronoun in Psalms.

Translation commentary on Psalm 74:18 - 74:19

After his eloquent description of God as the Creator, the psalmist returns to his complaint and his pleas.

In translation Remember is not to be expressed by the verb that implies someone has forgotten a fact. The psalmist is asking God to keep in mind that the enemies scoff. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “Bear in mind.” The verbs in verse 18, scoffs and reviles, are the same as in verse 10. For translation suggestions on various synonyms of the word translated scoffs, see 2.4; 10.5; 22.7. Impious translates nabal “fool” (see comments on “fool” in 14.1). New Jerusalem Bible has “base people”; Bible en français courant “these stupid people”; New International Version “foolish people.” For the use of thy name as a substitute for “you,” see 5.11 and 8.1.

In verse 19a Good News Translation “your helpless people” translates “the nefesh of your dove” (for nefesh see 3.2). Dove here seems to be a symbol for Israel (see Hos 7.11). Biblia Dios Habla Hoy takes it as a metaphor for helplessness and translates with a simile, “We are as weak as doves.” Bible en français courant abandons the metaphor: “the life of the people who are so dear to you.” Instead of the Masoretic text toreka “your dove,” the Septuagint and Syriac represent a Hebrew text (also found in one Hebrew manuscript) todeka “the one who praises you” (in a collective sense); this is preferred by New English Bible. Translators should follow the Masoretic text.

Good News Translation “their cruel enemies” represents the wild beasts. Translators will need to follow the kinds of adjustments made by Good News Translation in order to avoid what may be meaningless renderings based on the delivery of the soul of thy dove to the wild beasts.

Do not forget has the meaning of “Do not reject,” which is parallel with Good News Translation‘s “Don’t abandon.” “Your persecuted people” translates the life of thy poor (see 9.12). The word translated life in verse 19b may here be used in the sense of “community, family” (see comments on this use in 68.10a, “thy people”).

The sense of for ever, with the negative do not forget, is equivalent to “don’t keep on forgetting,” or “stop forgetting,” or “do not neglect.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .