translation variety example

Some OLB-'skeptics' argue that the language of the OLB is simply Old-Frisianised 19th century Dutch. Strong arguments can be made against that. For example, there are many sentences that are still not clear. The example below shows how much variety there is between the existing translations. 

(Prior phrase in Sandbach's translation: "They cunningly made themselves masters of our laws and customs, and ..." ~ The object of the following phrase is, thus: our laws and customs ~ VSA ÉWA ÀND SETMA)

[038/15]
THRVCH WANKÉTHINGA WISTON HJA ALLE TO WISA ÀND TO VRBRUDA

1-Ottema (Dutch, 1872/1876):
door listen en drogredenen wisten zij alles te bewijzen en te verbreiden verbruyen*.
(*correction in the back of the 1872 edition, sadly missed by Sandbach and not corrected in reprint of 1876)

2-Sandbach (English, 1876):
by craft and subtlety were able to explain and spread them around.
3-Wirth (German, 1933):
durch falsche Auslegungen wußten sie alles zu weisen und umzudeuten.
4-Overwijn (Dutch, 1951):
door bedriegelijke redeneringen wisten zij alles te duiden en te bederven.
5-Jensma (Dutch, 2006):
door wanspraak wisten ze alles te verdraaien en te verbruien.
6-De Heer (Dutch, 2008):
door wanspreken wisten zij alles te duiden en te verbruiden.
7-Raubenheimer (English, 2011):
by fallacies they wished to explain everything and expand thereon.
8-Menkens (German, 2013):
durch Trugreden/ Wahnsprache wußten sie alles umzudeuten und zu entstellen.
9-Lien (Norse, 2013):
gjennom falsk tale visste de å anvise og forderve alt.

WANKÉTHINGA (noun plur.)
D: listen en drogredenen (ruses and fallacies) - 1
D: bedriegelijke redeneringen (fallacies) - 4
D: wanspraak ('vainspeech') - 5*
D: wanspreken ('vainspeaking') - 6*
E: craft and subtlety - 2
E: fallacies - 7
G: falsche Auslegungen (false explanations) - 3
G: Trugreden/ Wahnsprache (fallacies/ 'vainspeech') - 8*
N: falsk tale (speak falsely) - 9

* Translations 5, 6 and 8b are the most literal, but the words are obsolete, unclear and seemingly inappropriate.

WISA (verb)
D: bewijzen (prove, establish) - 1
D: duiden (interpret) - 4,6
D: verdraaien (distort) - 5
E: explain - 2,7
G: weisen (point out?) - 3
G: umzudeuten (reinterpret) - 8
N: anvise (point out) - 9

VRBRUDA (verb)
D: verbruyen/verbruien/ verbruiden ( ,, ) - 1,5,6D: bederven (corrupt, pervert) - 4
E: spread around - 2*
E: expand thereon - 7*
G: umzudeuten (reinterpret) - 3
G: entstellen (distort) - 8
N: forderve (corrupt, pervert) - 9

* The misprint in Ottema' translation as 'verbreiden' (spread/ propagate) was corrected in the back of the 1872 edition but sadly not in the reprint of 1876. Sandbach copied the mistake and so did Raubenheimer.

Main question i.m.o. is how to interpret WISA.

My own provisional translation:

they managed to explain and distort them all through misinterpretations.

outsmarting all earlier translations

The following may seem just a detail, but it once more shows how all previous translations can still be further improved.

[029/26]
SAHWERSA THÉR SWETHNATA ET SÉMNE KYVA ÀND SANA
If any of our neighbours quarrel and fight...

VR ENZE SÉKA THA VR LÁND

(transliteration Ottema/ Sandbach: vr enga sêka, tha vr lând)

Note that the red and blue marked translations differ significantly from each other:

translation	original language	English
Ottema 1872	over eenige zaak (anders) dan over land	over any matter (other) than land
Sandbach 1876	-	about any matter except land
Wirth 1933	über andere Sachen als Land	over other matters than land
Overwijn 1951	over een of andere zaak zoals over land	over any matter such as land
Jensma 2006	over andere zaken dan over land	over other matters than land
De Heer 2008	over enige zaken zoals over land	over some matters such as land
Raubenheimer 2011	-	over any matter other than land
Lien 2013	over noen (andre) saker enn over land	over some (other) matters than land
Menkens 2013	über einzelne Dinge/Sachen wie über Land(besitz)	over individual matters such as land(-ownership)

I think THA does not mean 'other than'/ 'except' or 'such as' here, but  'or' (Dutch: of/ dan wel), as it does in the following fragments, also written by Minno:

[030/10] ET WÍRING.GA THA TO AL.MAN.LAND
at Wyringga or at Almanland
[030/30] THÀT.ET FOLK VS LÉT DVATH THA BISTÉLLETH
that the folk does us harm or steals from us

 Thus, the translation would be:

over any cause* or over land 

(* or: case; plural in original; Dutch/ German: zaak/ Sache)