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Description
The first time that people or things are mentioned in a story, they are new participants. After that, whenever they are mentioned, they are old participants.
Now there was a man from the Pharisees whose name was Nicodemus … This man came to Jesus at night … Jesus replied and said to him … (John 3:1, 2a, 3a)
The first bolded phrase introduces Nicodemus as a new participant. After being introduced, he is then referred to as “This man” and “him” when he has become an old participant.
Reason This Is a Translation Issue
In order to make your translation clear and natural, it is necessary to refer to the participants in such a way that people will know if they are new participants or participants that they have already read about. Different languages have different ways of doing this. You must follow the way that your language does this, not the way that the source language does this.
Examples From the Bible
New Participants
Often the most important new participant is introduced with a phrase that says that he existed, such as “There was a man,” as in the example below. The phrase “There was” tells us that this man existed. The word “a” in “a man” tells us that the author is speaking about him for the first time. The rest of the sentence tells where this man was from, who is family was, and what his name was.
Now there was a man from Zorah, of the families of the Danites, and his name was Manoah. (Judges 13:2a ULT)
A new participant who is not the most important participant is often introduced in relation to the more important person who was already introduced. In the example below, Manoah’s wife is simply referred to as “his wife.” This phrase shows her relationship to him.
Now there was one man from Zorah, of the families of the Danites, and his name was Manoah. His wife was barren and she had never given birth. (Judges 13:2 ULT)
Sometimes a new participant is introduced simply by name because the author assumes that the readers know who the person is. In the first verse of 1 Kings, the author assumes that his readers know who King David is, so there is no need to explain who he is.
Now King David was old, he had advanced in the days, and they covered him with the garments, but it was not warm enough for him. (1 Kings 1:1 ULT)
Old Participants
A person who has already been brought into the story can be referred to with a pronoun after that. In the example below, Manoah is referred to with the pronoun “his,” and his wife is referred to with the pronoun “she.”
His wife was barren and she had never given birth. (Judges 13:2 ULT)
Old participants can also be referred to in other ways, depending on what is happening in the story. In the example below, the story is about bearing a son, and Manoah’s wife is referred to by the noun phrase “the wife.”
The angel of Yahweh appeared to the wife and he said to her … (Judges 13:3a ULT)
If the old participant has not been mentioned for a while, or if there could be confusion between participants, the author may use the participant’s name again. In the example below, Manoah is referred to by his name, which the author has not used since verse 2.
Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh. (Judges 13:8a ULT)
Some languages place an affix on the verb that tells something about the subject. In some of those languages, people do not always use noun phrases or pronouns for old participants when they are the subject of the sentence. The marker on the verb gives enough information for the listener to understand who the subject is. (See Verbs.)
Translation Strategies
(1) If the participant is new, use one of your language’s ways of introducing new participants.
(2) If it is not clear to whom a pronoun refers, use a noun phrase or name.
(3) If an old participant is referred to by name or a noun phrase, and people wonder if this is another new participant, try using a pronoun instead. If a pronoun is not needed because people would understand it clearly from the context, then leave out the pronoun.
Examples of Translation Strategies Applied
(1) If the participant is new, use one of your language’s ways of introducing new participants.
Then Joseph, who was called Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated as Son of Encouragement), a Levite from Cyprus by birth … (Acts 4:36-37 ULT) – Starting the sentence with Joseph’s name when he has not been introduced yet might be confusing in some languages.
There was a man from Cyprus who was a Levite. His name was Joseph, and he was given the name Barnabas by the apostles (that is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement). There was a Levite from Cyprus whose name was Joseph. The apostles gave him the name Barnabas, which means Son of encouragement.
(2) If it is not clear who a pronoun refers to, use a noun phrase or name.
And it happened that when he was praying in a certain place, when he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1 ULT) – Since this is the first verse in a chapter, readers might wonder who “he” refers to.
It happened when Jesus finished praying in a certain place, that one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
(3) If an old participant is referred to by name or a noun phrase, and people wonder if this is another new participant, try using a pronoun instead. If a pronoun is not needed because people would understand it clearly from the context, then leave out the pronoun.
Joseph’s master took Joseph and put him in prison, in the place where all the king’s prisoners were put, and Joseph stayed there. (Genesis 39:20) – Since Joseph is the main person in the story, some languages might prefer the pronoun.
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, in the place where all the king’s prisoners were put, and he stayed there in the prison.