The first time that people or things are mentioned in a story, they are <u>new participants</u>. After that, whenever they are mentioned, they are <u>old participants</u>.
>Now <u>there was a Pharisee whose name was Nicodemus</u>.... <u>This man</u> came to Jesus at night.... Jesus replied to <u>him</u>. (John 3:1-3)
The first underlined phrase introduces Nicodemus as a new participant. He is then referred to as "This man" and "him" when he is an old participant.
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 should follow the way that your language does this, not the way that the source language does this.
* 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 his family was, and what his name was.
**A new participant who is not the most important one is often introduced in relation to the more important person who was already introduced.**
>There was a man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. <u>His wife</u> was not able to become pregnant and so she had not given birth. (Judges 13:2 ULB)
* When the angel of Yahweh is introduced in the story, Manoah's wife is referred to with the noun phrase "the woman."
**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.**
Some languages have something 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](../figs-verbs/01.md))
### Translation Strategies
1. If the participant is new, use one of your language's ways of introducing new participants.
1. If it is not clear to whom a pronoun refers, use a noun phrase or name.
1. 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 <u>Jesus</u> spoke a parable to <u>his disciples</u> about how they should always pray and not become discouraged.
1. 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.
* **Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. Soon, the near kinsman of whom <u>Boaz</u> had spoken came by. <u>Boaz</u> said to <u>him</u>....** (Ruth 4:1 ULB)
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