The isiZulu translation of biblical weights and measures

Abstract

Given that the metrological systems used in biblical times included concepts like our own modern-day times − i.e. weight, linear distance and volume or capacity − it is essential to explore how such concepts are translated for the modern readers of isiZulu Bibles. This article explores isiZulu translations of biblical weights and measures. It is a qualitative study that uses the textual analysis design in the descriptive translation studies paradigm. The researcher identified verses from the source texts (the Old Testament in Hebrew and New Testament in Greek) with units of weights and measures to describe how they are translated in three isiZulu Bibles. The findings are that in the 1959 and 2020 isiZulu translations loanwords are mainly used. In the 1986 New Testament version, which includes the Book of Psalms, the strategy is to translate weights and measures dynamically. The general conclusion drawn from the findings is that the use of loanwords and word-for-word translation for biblical weights and measures in isiZulu has been adopted to stay as close as possible to the words and phrasing of the source text.