ROME: 21 March 2014 -- Apart from the 'box' pic nicely
encapsulating (literally!) what we Salesians are all about,
it raises another issue. Translation.
Of course 'non capovolgere' in English is 'This end up'.
What else could it be?
'Mystics in the Spirit' had to face this issue on Thursday -
partly because it raised the question of translating the
Salesian sources, partly because of the problem suggested in
the second pic! And maybe, just maybe, the problem is really
inherent to a term like 'Mystics', anyway.
Meanwhile a few of the earlier 'straw' proposals firm up. A
few more are added - Will Europe stay at 3 or reduce to 2?
Youth Ministry Framework - maybe the first ever document at
this level to go into language versions such as 2 x Spanish
and 2 x Portuguese. Just 1 x English - I mean, let's face
it, we all speak the same language :-) and,
Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
-- Sauce unknown ----------------------
Which end up for the Chapter document? The desire to get a document in some sort of shape
before the coming week focuses on elections, is progressing -
but might have hit a small speedbump, and people seem to have
two ways of handling speedbumps. Most slow down, some just go
faster - they sort of don't notice the bump that way, but God
only knows what it's doing to your set of wheels - you could
simply 'capovolgere'! One suspects (hopes) the Chapter
will slow down.
You see, they are now looking more closely at the first drafts
of the more or less 'complete' item covering Listening-Interpretation-Way
forward. Mystics in the Spirit (1st core topic) was a
hard one to start with, when you think about it, because it's
not an easy topic to get a handle on, and how do you make the
'Way forward' really hit home in concrete terms? So the
debate is on - and be it interventions in the auditorium or
comments from commissions - translation as an issue is coming
up from time to time, not just into English but into other
languages and their versions (as the YM Framework to be
presented today (Friday) highlights nicely.
There is a recommendation in the 'Way forward' in topic 1
which, if it survives discussion, will say "See to the translation of
Salesian sources into various languages", this being
thought essential if we are to understand DB the mystic etc.
etc. and how do you describe DB the mystic? An early draft
thought a comment on DB the mystic by Ceria would help - but
maybe not?
One speaker weighed in on this during the 5 minute
interventions. He spoke in English and there might have been a
moment of mystery (sometimes the dominant language speakers
feel exempt from using the headphones, and were the
English-into-other-languages ready anyway? He usually speaks
in Italian!). What he was saying seemed important, but you
have to understand him to be sure of that!
What was he saying? He pointed to translation not so much as a
technical problem but a charismatic one. He pointed out how
it's easy enough to ask for this but getting stuff into our
various languages has been and remains one of our great
challenges.
He cited examples (mistranslations of the Constitutions in
English; A Missioni Don Bosco video that said DB was a
Protestant Pastor! Lenti's masterpiece is in Spanish but not
yet in Italian! The current 'Fonti salesiane' translations
into Spanish appear to be leaving out whole paragraphs ...)
But he did not leave it at a problem. He made some quite
direct proposals, such as: develop appropriate tools or use
the ones already existing and further develop those (he cited
Salesian
Termbase, for example, as such a helpful tool for the
EN-IT pair). He also asked that there be a reference group set
up that translators of Salesian source material could have
easy access to, to resolve difficulties.
Discussion will continue - the Drafting group now works on
topic one again (they have a fair bit to work on), and
meanwhile Topic two, three will come up in these days to be
handled similarly.
IUXTA MODUMS and the like
Things have more or less firmed up in readiness for elections
- there was an attempt to put the elections off for a week,
but that proposal got voted down. C 141 (regarding election of
RM and Vicar) have not been tampered with, instead R. 127
which also affects the election of Sector councillors, is
going to be modified now to allow the discernment process (see
previous austraLasias) in Regions to take place as outlined in
earlier proposals.
Meanwhile there are new straw votes: recall the earlier
proposals for two instead of three Regions affecting
Europe? It looks as if, for various reasons, this will
not proceed. At least the proposal put forward by the
juridical commission is opting to keep three regions. One of
those Regionals would then coordinate PE (Project Europe, not
Phys Ed!).
And there are matters now in receipt of final and definitive
voting.
- Term of office for RM and Councillors. Won't change
- Composition of General Council: RM, Vicar, unchanged
sectors, and regionals still on the Council
- Vicar of RM will be relieved of SF (goes to secretariat
under RM)
- Tasks of Regional, won't change.
To round off, two comments:
1. "Translation does not
come after Babel. It comes when some human group has the
bright idea that the kids on the next block might be worth
talking to. Translation is a first step towards
civilisation. It is translation, more than speech itself,
which provides incontrovertible evidence of the human
capacity to think and to communicate thought. We should do
more of it." David Bellos, in 'Is That a Fish in your
Ear?'
2. Salesian Sources (translation of the 1,300 page 'Fonti
salesiane' is now reaching completion for Part One in English.
More
than 50 documents now available singly, and of course
together. And - promise - no whole paragraphs missing!
