grain

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “grain” (or: “corn”) is translated in Kui as “(unthreshed) rice.” Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) explains: “Padddy [unthreshed rice] is the main crop of the country and rice the staple diet of the people, besides which [grain] is unknown and there is no word for it, and it seemed to us that paddy and rice in the mind of the Kui people stood for all that corn meant to the Jews.” “Paddy” is also the translation in Pa’o Karen (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. ).

Other translations include: “wheat” (Teutila Cuicatec), “corn” (Lalana Chinantec), “things to eat” (Morelos Nahuatl), “grass corn” (wheat) (Chichimeca-Jonaz) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), or ntimumma lujia / “seeds for food” (Lokạạ — “since Lokạạ does not have specific terms for maize and rice that can be described as grains”) (source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

Ruth

The Hebrew that is transliterated as “Ruth” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “respect” referring to the respect that she shows for the mother-in-law as shown in Ruth 1:16. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Ruth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts Ruth collecting ears of grain, referring to Ruth 2:2 and following.


“Ruth” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

Naomi

The Hebrew that is transliterated as “Naomi” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “changed identity” referring to the many life changes that Naomi goes through in the book of Ruth. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Naomi” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

Translation commentary on Ruth 2:2: A Cultural Commentary for Central Africa

Instead of replying, “Go, my child,” to Ruth’s request, Naomi would have sounded more idiomatic in Chichewa by saying, “Alright, mother” (Chabwino, amai). The first word indicates her agreement with the request, the appellation shows her respect for her daughter-in-law. The use of personal names is completely taboo in such face-to-face dialogues (cp. Good News Bible — Naomi: “Now be patient, Ruth” (3:18). The relations between in-laws in a traditional environment are kept in an intricate social balance by an established set of status markers and terms of avoidance. This may be a minor stylistic matter, but when violations are compounded, especially in direct speech, it immediately brands the translation as being linguistically foreign.

There is also a problem of implication with the words ” . . . glean . . . after him in whose sight I shall find favor” (RSV). This would indicate that Ruth already had a specific person in mind. Thus the reference must be generalized; e.g., Good News Bible: “I am sure to find someone who . . . .”

Source: Wendland 1987, p. 172.

Translation commentary on Ruth 2:2

In this short dialogue between Ruth and Naomi, the first verb in the Hebrew text introduces a desire on the part of Ruth, and it is followed by a particle which is roughly equivalent to “please” in English. Naomi’s answer is in the form of an imperative which expresses permission. Compare Joüon, par. 114, n. On the deprecative interjection -naʾ, see par. 105. Semantically, no politeness seems to be involved in its use. In many receptor languages the most natural equivalents would be “May I go to the fields to glean…?” and “Yes, go, my daughter.” Since there is a question followed by a response, it is often useful to have for the first verb of speaking a term such as “ask” or “request”—for example, “Ruth asked Naomi”—followed by a term such as “answer” or “reply”—for example, “Naomi responded.”

The name Ruth at the beginning of verse 2 is followed immediately by the emphasis upon her being a Moabite, so that literally the text reads “Ruth the Moabitess.” However, it is by no means always necessary to repeat this identification, For the Syriac translator also, this repetition seems to be superfluous. In 2.21, where he also omits “Moabitess,” he is even joined by Septuagint and Vulgate. though perhaps in the Hebrew text the repetition does have emphasis and may be a none-too-subtle way by which the author keeps reminding the reader of Ruth’s foreign background. (See comment on 1.22.)

In a number of languages there may be no technical term for “gleaning,” which means gathering up the heads of grain which the harvest workers left behind by accident. In many societies such a practice is simply not economically profitable, while in other parts of the world such grain is left on the ground for animals to eat. It is, of course, always possible to describe gleaning as “gathering up the heads of grain which were left behind by the harvest workers,” and it may be useful, therefore, to refer to certain Old Testament passages in which gleaning is mentioned (Lev 19.9-10; 23.22; Deut 24.19-22). It may even be useful to introduce a footnote; for example, “According to the law of the Hebrews, strangers, widows, orphans, and other poor people had the right to collect the ears of grain which had fallen from the hands of the reapers and were left behind in the field.”

That the harvest workers leave states explicitly what is implied in the Hebrew text. However, the harvest workers may require some explanation in certain languages, possibly a descriptive phrase which will more precisely designate what these people were doing; for example, “those who were cutting the grain,” “those who were harvesting the grain,” or “those who were gathering in the grain from the fields.”

Someone who will let me work with him is literally in Hebrew “after him in whose eyes I shall find favor.” This involves a rather frequent Hebrew idiom which occurs again in verses 10 and 13—though in the latter instance it is used primarily to indicate gratitude. In verse 2, however, it primarily involves permission, and it is translated in the New English Bible as “behind anyone who will grant me that favor.”

Go ahead is an idiomatic way of saying in English “Proceed to do what you have suggested.” In some languages this may be translated as “Go and do it” or “Do that.”

The word daughter, as has been noted in other instances, may need to be translated as “my daughter-in-law.” In fact, in some languages other terms of respect may be required, as Wendland states:
Instead of replying “Go, my child,” to Ruth’s request, Naomi would have sounded more idiomatic in Chewa by saying, “Alright, mother.” The first word shows her agreement with the request, the appellation shows her respect for her daughter-in-law. The use of personal names is completely taboo in such face-to-face dialogues. Wendland, The Cultural Factor, page 172.

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Ruth. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .