TRANSLATION WORK

The following is a study of a Chamorro translation of the Roman Missal, which is the "book of the Mass." It's what a priest reads from when saying Mass.

The original Missal is written in Latin, the ancient language of Rome which the Catholic Church keeps as its official language, both for official worship (the "liturgy") and for government.

After the 2nd Vatican Council (1962-1965), the Roman Missal was allowed to be translated into the vernacular, the language of the people at hand. But the rule was, and is, that the vernacular edition must be translated from the original Latin. It's risky enough to translate from one language to a second language; it's even more risky to involve a third language; that is, a translation of a translation.

The Chamorro Missal we have now is just that; a translation of a translation. Our Chamorro Missal was translated from the English Missal, which was itself translated from the original Latin.

So I am interested in seeing how faithful our Chamorro translation is to the original Latin. Since I cannot compare the whole Missal in one setting, I have chosen to look at the 5th Sunday of Easter, and just one prayer from that Mass - the Collect, which is the opening, or first, prayer.

So here's that Collect, or opening prayer, in the original Latin. Don't worry, I'm putting a, more or less, word for word English equivalent underneath each Latin word. Then I will show a clearer English version.

ORIGINAL LATIN 

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, 

(Almighty)   (always eternal) (God)

semper in nobis paschale perfice sacramentum,

(always) (in) (us) (Paschal, that is, Easter) (perfect) (mystery but also sacrament).

ut, quos sacro baptismate dignatus es renovare,

(so that) (those) (by means of holy) (baptism) (pleased) (you are) (to renew)

sub tuae protectionis auxilio multos fructus afferant,

(under) (your) (of protection) (help) (many/much) (fruits) (may produce)

et ad aeternae vitae gaudia pervenire concedas.

(and) (to) (of eternal) (life) (joys) (arrive) (you allow).

IN CLEARER ENGLISH

Almighty eternal God,

perfect in us always the paschal mystery,

so that those whom you deigned to renew by means of sacred baptism,

may under the aid of your protection bear many fruits,

and that you will grant them to attain unto the joys of eternal life.

MORE THAN ONE WAY

Right away, you can see that you have choices. Some Latin words can be translated using more than one English word.

Auxilio, for example, can mean "help, aid, assistance." But all of these options, more or less, mean the same thing.

Concedas can mean "you grant, you allow, you permit," and several other closely-related meanings.

OFFICIAL ENGLISH

Now here is the official English translation, approved by the Vatican. This is what was used to come up with a Chamorro version of the Collect of the 5th Sunday of Easter.

Almighty ever-living God, constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us, that those you were pleased to make new in Holy Baptism may, under your protective care, bear much fruit and come to the joys of life eternal.

Now.....does this somehow depart from the original Latin? In any big way? Or in any small way?

Let's see.

SEMPITERNE. This is the original Latin. It means "eternal." The approved, official English translation says "ever-living." This is certainly a possible English meaning of sempiterne. Something that is eternal has no end, so it keeps on going and going and going (haha I know you're thinking of the Energizer bunny). It lives forever; it has no end. But....the Christian idea of God's eternity is that He also has no beginning. He has no end, but also no beginning. Christian eternity means "no-time," timeless or above time, outside of time. I suppose "timeless" could be used, but I've never seen God described as "timeless" in official prayers. Even the word "timeless" does not make it abundantly clear that the timeless thing has no beginning because, once something has started, it can then start to be timeless, that is, without end. Many things, such as a piece of art or music, are said to be timeless because they never grow old, but they all had a start. But God had no beginning. He never "started;" He always was, is and will be. Above time. Outside of time.

PERFICE. This Latin word is a command, and it means "perfect." The English version says "accomplish," which can mean to accomplish perfectly, but not necessarily perfect. You can accomplish your house chores, but not perfectly. The Latin prayer commands (humbly, of course) God to make the effects of the Easter mystery (the saving effects of Jesus' death and rising) perfect in us. In other words, that we be perfectly saved, redeemed, renewed, made holy. So "accomplish" is a bit of a distancing from the clear idea of "perfection." But this translation was approved by Rome. 

BY MEANS OF. I have switched to the English because it's too complicated to explain why the original Latin says that we want God to perfect in us the Easter (or paschal) mystery BY MEANS OF the sacrament of holy Baptism. It deals with Latin grammar. The point is that the approved English translation doesn't say "by means of" but simply "in." We are perfected in the Easter mysteries in baptism, which can mean "because of, by means of" baptism, but not as clearly as saying so clearly : by means of holy baptism. "In holy baptism" can mean to someone else that we are perfected in the Easter mystery and, by the way, it just so happens that, it happens in baptism. When we say "by means of," it's very clear that if there is no baptism, there is no perfection of the effects of Christ's death and resurrection.

PROTECTIONIS. The Latin says "under the help of your protection." The key idea is protection. It is God's protection, and His protection is an aid, a help, an assistance. The approved English translation switches the attention to "care," and modifies that care, saying it is a protective care. What is described in the Latin as a help (aid, assistance) is elaborated in the English as "care." That help is a kind of caring. Both elements, care (help, assistance) and protection, are present in both the Latin original and the approved English translation, but the focus is different; care which is protective, and protection which is a help.

CONCEDAS. This Latin word means "you concede, allow, permit, grant" and so on. The original Latin prayer says that we don't go to heaven unless God allows us to. The approved English translation simply says that, after all what came before happens, we may come to heaven (the joys of eternal life).

FIRST CONCLUSION?

From these comparisons, we can see that the approved English translation does move away from the original Latin in a few ways, but nothing alarming, depending on your point of view. The translation was approved by the Vatican, after all. Personally, I would have liked perfice ("perfect") to have been kept rather than "accomplish." The original Latin is very clear and strong in presenting the idea that so much depends on God, on His good will towards us and on His working through the sacraments. The English includes that idea, but, in my opinion, not as clearly and not as strongly.

NOTABLE DIFFERENCES IN THE CHAMORRO

When the translator(s) came up with a Chamorro Missal, they turned to the approved English Missal I have been quoting above. As far as I know, the original Latin Missal was not consulted, or at least not as the actual text to be translated.

So, we may find that the Chamorro version moves away, not only from the Latin Missal, but maybe even from the English one!

So let's look at the Chamorro version of the Collect of the 5th Sunday of Easter. Again, I will put a, more or less, word for word English equivalent under each Chamorro word.

CHAMORRO MISSAL

Todo un na' siña todo i tiempo låla'la' na Yu'us, 

(All) (you) (can do) (all) (the) (time) (living) (God),

ti påpara hao chumo'gue i Misterion Påsgua

(not) (stopping) (you) (to do) (the) (mystery of) (Easter)

gi sanhalom-måme, kosa ke ayo siha i magof hao 

(to/at the) (inside-us), (so that) (those) (happy you are)

un na' fan nuebo gi Såntos na Baotismo gi papa' i inadahi-mo na proteksion, 

(you) (make new) (in) (holy) (baptism) (to/at) (under) (care-your) (protection),

u fan mannokcha' mås produkto, 

(they will or may produce) (more) (fruit)

ya u fan måtto gi minagof i taihinekkok na lina'la'. 

(and they may come) (to/at the) (happiness/joy) (the) (endless) (life).

ISSUES

PERFICE. Now the entire idea of "perfecting" from the original Latin prayer is completely lost. The original Latin prayer commanded (again, humbly) God to perfect in us the effects of the Easter (paschal) mystery. The English used the more ambiguous word "accomplish," but it still commanded God to do that for us. The Chamorro uses the word cho'gue which simply means "to do." God does, works, performs the Easter mystery within us. Cho'gue can mean "one completes" a thing. He was told to sweep the floor, ya ha cho'gue. "He did it," meaning he completed what was asked of him. But cho'gue does not necessarily mean completion, and much less perfect completion. You can do something, but not completely well or not perfectly. The idea of arriving at a completion, or even a perfect completion, is entirely missing.

Secondly, the respectful command (imperative) is also missing. Now it is a description. God is described as never ending His working in us of the Easter mystery. We can assume that God's doing this has to end sometime, and hopefully to a perfect completion. But the prayer does not state this explicitly in the Chamorro as it does in the original Latin.

A Chamorro translator might want to use the word na' kabåles ("make complete") or na' fonhåyan ("make finish"), or even na' kabåles gi prefekto na manera, "to make complete in a perfect way," or na' fonhåyan gi kinabåles, "bring to end in completion, in fullness." They can also use the word kumple ("to complete, fulfill") in a variety of combinations, too. Translators can have a merry ole time doing this.

PROTECTIONE. The Chamorro follows the English in using the word "care" (inadahi) rather than "help" (in Latin, auxilio). But the construction is interesting. The translators were faced with the challenge of putting into Chamorro the phrase "your protective care," following the English rather than the Latin version. A care that is protective. "Care" was easy enough to translate. Adahe or adahi means "to be careful of, to care for," so the noun form is inadahi (care), but how to translate "protective?" Their solution was "i inadahi-mo na proteksion," which means "your care which is a protection." In both the English and the Chamorro, the shift in focus is towards care (not "help") and not on protection, as in the Latin. It's like telling the teacher, "I will pass the course with the help of your guidance." The focus is the teacher's guidance, which is a help. The focus is not on the teacher's help, which can mean many things. Guidance is more specific, as is "protection" in the original Latin prayer. What kind of help does God give? The help of His protection. Perhaps "i ayudon i proteksion-mo" or "i ayudon i gineggue-mo" could be used.

MULTOS FRUCTUS. The original Latin speaks of "many fruits," multos fructus. The Chamorro version speaks of "more fruits," mås produkto. If a tree first bears three lemons, and then the next day bears one more, that one more is "more fruit." But the prayer speaks of many fruits, not more. Four lemons on a lemon tree is one more than there were yesterday, but four lemons do not make many fruits when a tree can bear much, much more. "Meggai na produkto" or "meggai na tinekcha'" could be used.

CONCEDAS. Like the English on which it depends, the Chamorro version just speaks of us coming to the joys of eternal life, but nothing about God allowing or granting that. Verbs such as sedi ("to allow") or na' siña ("to make possible") can be used, or even just the prefix na' (to make, to make happen, to make be) in conjunction with a verb or adjective.

FINAL CONCLUSION

So here is a graph showing the three versions side by side; the Chamorro, the approved English translation and the Latin original. I have marked the areas where, either in Chamorro or English or both, the wording diverges from the Latin, either somewhat or in a major way, as explained above.

So, if I were to meet with Chamorro translators, I would strongly suggest we find ways to express in Chamorro the following ideas contained in the original Latin prayer that are missing in the Chamorro version we have now :

1. That we ask God to perfect in us the Easter (paschal) mystery

2. That it is with the help of God's protection

3. That we bear much, not more, fruit

4. That God has to allow, permit and grant us to enter the joys of eternal life.

"LIKE THE DEWFALL"

Back in the fall of 2011, when the new English Roman Missal was put into effect, many priests took issue with the phrase, found at the beginning of Eucharistic Prayer II, “like the dewfall.”  They said : too poetic; overdone; dare I say, corny? 

The phrase is supposed to be as good a translation as possible of the Latin original in the 1974 edition of the Roman Missal. That phrase is “Spiritus rore tui.”  “Rore” comes from “ros,” which means “dew.”  “Spiritus rore tui” literally means “by the dew of your Spirit.”  I assume the translators thought that this literal translation would be problematic for the listener, so they rendered it “like the dewfall” instead.  The translators back in 1974 perhaps left out all reference to dew for this very reason; they assumed that “dew” as a spiritual metaphor was not something that would resonate with modern speakers of English.

The original text tells us that the Church is asking God to sanctify the gifts of bread and wine by the dew of God’s Spirit.  The Spirit is a dew.  The new translation asks God to make holy the gifts by sending down God’s Spirit upon them “like the dewfall.”  Like the dewfall what?  Like the dewfall forms.  For me, the difference in nuance is that the Latin original is saying, metaphorically, that the Holy Spirit IS a dew; a spiritual, divine dew.  The new translation is saying that the Holy Spirit ACTS like dew. 

Take, for example, the phrase, “by the light of your Spirit.”  The Holy Spirit IS light; He is divine light.  He doesn’t just have light; He IS light.  Now compare with, “by your Spirit like the light.”  Nothing against the faith there.  It still teaches that the Spirit brings light, sheds light and therefore possesses light.  But there’s the difference in nuance; to be something, as opposed to having something.

I suppose one could bring this difference out by saying,  “Illumine our minds, Lord, by your Spirit, who is light,” and “sanctify these gifts by your Spirit, who is dew.” 

How is the Holy Spirit dew?

It is a very biblical image.  For people living in the arid Middle East, like the Hebrews, dew was generally a very positive image.  It was mentioned in blessings (Genesis 27:28), as a symbol of abundance (Job 29:19), of God’s presence (Hosea 14:5).  When God punishes, He doesn’t send the dew (1 Kings 17:1).

The most famous Old Testament passage involving dew is the dew that preceded the appearance of manna in the desert.  In the Book of Exodus, chapter 16, as the people complained of hunger, God gave the people manna to eat.  The manna formed in the early morning on the ground and had to be eaten before the sun melted them away.  They could not be stored overnight, except on the Sabbath, since no collecting was allowed during the Sabbath rest.  Whatever they tried to store overnight rotted.  Truly, the manna was their “daily bread” as we say in the Lord’s Prayer.

 

 

But prior to the manna forming, a dew lay all over the land.  This dew did not “fall” like rain; it formed, quietly in the dark of night.  There is a kind of gentle mystery involved in the imperceptible formation of dew.  This speaks of the action of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit can come with palpable power.  On Pentecost, it is said that the sound of a violent, blowing wind filled the room where the Apostles were.  And later, after Peter and John had been arrested and released, the Apostles and believers gathered in prayer and the place shook.  It doesn’t say that the Holy Spirit shook the place, but immediately after the passage says the place shook, it says they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.  There was some connection.

Notice, however, that even the powerful signs of the Spirit’s presence (by wind or by shaking) do not damage.  The Spirit does not damage, though He is powerful.  His power builds up, unites, brings peace and order.  And though He can work with accompanying signs of power, He usually works like dew : gently, imperceptibly, hidden.  When someone is confirmed in the Holy Spirit, there are no outward changes. 

In Mass there is a huge change; a miraculous change.  Bread and wine cease to be those things, and are substantially changed into the true Body and Blood of Christ.  But outwardly we see no change.  The appearances of bread and wine remain.  Just as dew forms imperceptibly, in a hidden and mysterious way, so do bread and wine change into the Body and the Blood.  This miraculous change is brought about by the action of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

There is another meaning connected to the dew.  First came the dew; when it had dried up, then appeared the manna.  Why the dew first?  It acted like a kind of preparation for the manna.  Being water droplets, it cleansed the surface of the ground where the manna would appear, so that the manna the people would collect would be clean of the impurities found on the open ground. 

The action of the Holy Spirit on the bread and wine make way for the change to the Body and Blood of Christ.  The Holy Spirit takes way from our offering of bread and wine anything that may be lacking or inappropriate in our sacrifice.  First of all, we offer the bread and wine as sinful human beings.  Even if we are in the state of sanctifying grace, who are we to offer God bread and wine?  The prayers of the Mass express the Church’s constant awareness that we are always short of the mark when it comes to God.  Even the priest is made aware of his own shortcomings in the prayers of the Mass. 

Like the dew that cleanses the surface of the ground, the Holy Spirit removes from our sacrifice our unworthiness, the inattentiveness that often accompanies our prayers at Mass, the weakness of faith, the residue of anger or resentment, the many venial sins that stay with us even as we offer God our gifts of bread and wine.  If the Mass is the greatest prayer possible, and if the Holy Spirit “helps us in our prayer” because “we do not know how to pray,” (Romans 8:26) then when we pray, through the priest, that bread and wine become Christ’s Body and Blood, we ask that the Holy Spirit be the dew that accomplishes that for us.

Dew is the sign of blessing, of abundance, of God’s presence.  What greater blessing, what more valuable treasure, what truest presence of God do we have but the very Body and Blood of our Lord?  But He comes to us through the agency of the Holy Spirit, just as He came the first time in the womb of Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit; just as dew preceded manna.

 

 

Let us also ask the Holy Spirit to be dew in our souls before we receive the Lord in Holy Communion.  First came the dew, then the manna.  Let the Holy Spirit cleanse our souls of all venial sins and improper dispositions such as inattentiveness and a distracted mind before we receive Him.  Just as dew moistens the ground and promotes vegetative growth, let the Holy Spirit grow in us faith, hope and charity; the proper dispositions for receiving the Lord in Holy Communion and a great love for the Eucharist.

 

When we think of how the Holy Spirit is cleansing and life-giving dew for us, we can think of two lines from that beautiful Sequence on Pentecost, the Veni Sancte Spiritus :

 

Lava quod est sordidum

Riga quod est aridum.

(Cleanse what is dirty

water what is dry.)

 

DEWFALL!