<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 191);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Finally</span>, a sane voice in the argument over the new translation. This translation is something that should have taken place forty-some-odd years ago. - Dianne</span><br><br><br>http://www.patersondiocese.org/page.cfm?Web_ID=2614<br><h2 class="Title"><b>The Language of the Liturgy: The Value of the New Translations</b></h2>
<div class="mainpage"><p>In Act III, Scene II of <em>The Tragedy of Hamlet</em>,
the young prince gives this advice: “Suit the action to the word, the
word to the action.” Ever since the publication of the third edition of
the <em>Missale Romanum</em> in 2000, translators have been grappling
with the challenge of suiting the word to the liturgy. Translators
working to provide a fresh translation of the liturgical texts face a
number of challenges. <br>
Words, like people’s dress, change from one generation to the next and
from one group to another in the same society. What one individual
calls a “swamp,” another more ecologically conscious individual calls
“wetlands.” A politician waxes eloquently about “public
participation.” His audience understands him to say “self-denial.” The
corporate world routinely uses the noun impact as a transitive verb.
People follow happily along. </p>
<p>Today, politically correct as well as linguistically conscious
individuals carefully circumvent the word “man” not to offend women.
Past generations pronounced the word with never the slightest intention
of excluding women. But times have changed. We speak now about
humankind. Certainly, we have gained inclusivity. Yet, we have
sacrificed language that is not so abstract. </p>
<p>English always has been an open language, ready to welcome
neologisms. The Internet has enriched our speech with new phrases and
words. Text messaging is altering our spelling and our syntax.
Language is a human expression. As people change, so does the way they
speak. </p>
<p>In his popular rhetorical guide, <em>De duplici copia verborum ac rerum</em>,
Erasmus, the 16th century Dutch humanist and theologian, showed
students 150 different styles they could use when phrasing the Latin
sentence, <em>Tuae literae me magnopere delectarunt</em> (Your letter
has delighted me very much). Clearly, no single translation of any
sentence or work will ever completely satisfy everyone. Even the best
of all possible translations of the new Missal will have its critics. </p>
<p>But there is something more at stake than pleasing individual tastes
and preferences in the new liturgical translations. The new
translations aim at a “language which is easily understandable, yet
which at the same time preserves … dignity, beauty, and doctrinal
precision” (<em>Liturgiam Authenticam</em>, 25). The new translations
now being prepared are a marked improvement over the translations with
which we have become familiar. They are densely theological. They
respect the rich vocabulary of the Roman Rite. They carefully avoid
the overuse of certain phrases and words. </p>
<p>The new translations also have a great respect for the style of the
Roman Rite. Certainly, some sentences could be more easily translated
to mimic our common speech. But they are not. And with reason. Latin
orations, especially Post-Communions, tend to conclude strongly with a
teleological or eschatological point. The new translations in English
follow the sequence of these Latin prayers in order to end on a strong
note. Many of our current translations of these prayers end weakly. Why
should we strip the English translation of the distinctive theological
emphases of the Latin text? A slightly non-colloquial word order can
lead the listener to a greater attention to the point of the prayer. </p>
<p>Our present liturgical texts are framed in simple syntax. The new
translations use more subordinate clauses. This, in and of itself, does
not render them unproclaimable. By the very fact that, in some
instances, the new translations require thoughtful and careful
attention to pauses when speaking helps to foster and create a less
rushed and more reverent way of praying. Not a small gain for a proper <em>ars celebrandi.</em> </p>
<p>The new translation at times may use uncommon words like
“ineffable.” The word is not unspeakable! For sure, this word does not
come from the street language of the contemporary individual. But,
then, why cannot the liturgy use words that elevate the language from
the street to the altar? People may not use certain words in their
active vocabulary. This does not mean they will be baffled by their use
in the liturgy. “If indeed, in the liturgical texts, words or
expressions are sometimes employed which differ somewhat from usual and
everyday speech, it is often enough by virtue of this very fact that
the texts become truly memorable and capable of expressing heavenly
realities” (<em>Liturgiam Authenticam,</em> 27).</p>
<p>Liturgical language should border on the poetic. Prose bumps along
the ground. Poetry soars to the heavens. And our Liturgy is already a
sharing of the Liturgy in heaven. </p>
<p>The liturgical texts that we are now using are not perfect, but they
are familiar. This familiarity makes celebrants at ease with the
present texts. The new texts are better. When the new texts are
implemented, they will require more attention on the part of the
celebrant. But any initial uneasiness will yield to familiarity and to
a language that is well suited to the Liturgy.</p>
<p>A language suited for the Liturgy: this is the one of great
advantages of the work being done on the new translations. There is
more to the Liturgy than the human language of any age or any one
country. In the new translations of the Roman Missal, a conscious
effort is being made to suit the human word to the divine action that
the Liturgy truly is. As Pope Benedict XVI has said, the “central actio
of the Mass is fundamentally neither that of the priest as such nor of
the laity as such, but of Christ the High Priest: This action of God,
which takes place through human speech, is the real "action" for which
all creation is in expectation… This is what is new and distinctive
about the Christian liturgy: God himself acts and does what is
essential” (<em>The Spirit of the Liturgy</em> p. 173).</p>
<p>In his early work <em>Enchiridion militis christiani</em>, Erasmus
states the obvious about human speech and the divine. He argues that
words always fall short of their task of miming the Logos. Reaching
back to Exodus 16, he argues that the smallness of the manna rained
down on the Israelites "signifies the lowliness of speech that conceals
immense mysteries in almost crude language.” Until the end of history,
we must be content with imperfect language that will never fully unveil
the divine mystery we celebrate. But the new translations, imperfect
as they are — as all human speech will be —are good translations that
have passed through the hands of many scholars and bishops. The
language of the new texts, while not dummied down to the most common
denominator, remains readily accessible to anyone. Most assuredly,
these new translations of liturgical texts will help us better approach
God with greater reverence and awe. We gladly await their final
approval from the Holy See and their use in the Liturgy!<br>
<img alt="" src="http://www.patersondiocese.org/images/ajs_sig.jpg"></p></div><br><br><br><div> </div><div><div><div><font color="#0000bf"><em><font face="comic sans ms"><div><em><font color="#0000bf" face="Comic Sans MS">Like a deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for you, O God.</font></em></div></font></em></font></div><div><font color="#0000bf"><em><font face="comic sans ms">Ps 42:1</font></em></font></div><div><em><font color="#0000bf" face="Comic Sans MS" size="1"></font></em> </div><div><em><font color="#0000bf" face="Comic Sans MS" size="1"></font></em> </div></div></div><div><br></div></div><br>
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