Oǹsìn ní ńmọ ìwà.
Where character shows
Original
Oǹsìn ní ńmọ ìwà.
Glose littérale
- Oǹsìn the-servant ní ńmọ ìwà is-who knows the-character.
Anglais idiomatique
"The servant is best placed to know the master's character."
Aucun traducteur n'est nommé dans la source.
Ce que cela signifie
The person who serves you sees what you are.
Employé quand
Owomoyela: "Those dependent on you can best tell what sort of person you are"
Notes sur la traduction
Owomoyela's bracketed "the master's" is his supplement; the Yorùbá says only "knows character," leaving whose character unstated, and the hearer supplies it. The proverb is a claim about epistemic position: subordinates observe from an angle superiors cannot check.