austraLasia 1687

austraLasia readers may help launch new translation service

ROME: 14th November 2006 -- It is indeed true - a new service is available which is, in fact, a service readers may offer to the English-speaking world, and which is facilitated through austraLasia or more properly, through Boscowiki. The technology offers us the opportunity to help one another, so we should make every effort to use it.  It is not complicated, so read on.
    Translation - and let's talk about translation from Italian to English for the moment - is an increasing challenge in the Salesian English-speaking world.  There is one official translator at the Pisana (Fr Bernard Grogan) who has more work than he can possibly keep up with, and Fr George Williams from the UK who, as the Italians put it, has 'una certa età'. The website (sdb.org) has two other native speakers (English) who assist on a regular basis from wherever they happen to be in the world.  And that's it!  When there is talk of major translation works, large works such as whole books, then appropriate measures are taken to resolve the issue.  But on a daily basis (or weekly or...) smaller translation needs crop up, sometimes simply a few lines or a page or less.  It is these that we can deal with in another way using the facility now available on Boscowiki.
    I have created a 'Translations to do' page which explains the process in simple detail. Click on that link. The page now leads to two small but important translation issues (for the moment) which readers could attend to immediately and in fact the Prayer for the canonisation of Mamma Margaret is one which we want immediately, that is for publication on 15th November. The other is salesiani cooperatori which readers are already aware of. 
    The wiki technology in use here is not restrictive, that is, it does not need me to place a text for translation there, nor does it demand that the pair be Italian-English.  In other words, any of you could similarly request a short translation in any language pair...if someone out there has those languages they can hop in and help!  This initiative is all about cooperation. The requests need to be for brief (no longer than a page at a time) translations, otherwise people will balk at the idea.
    In terms of the Italian-to-English translation, the final arbiter will be myself and, where it touches on something official, Fr Bernard Grogan.  If people add other language pairs, they determine who the final arbiter will be depending on what the end purpose of the translation is.  I might add that the English-speaking world is giving a lead here to regions and provinces of other languages and the Congregation itself.  Either this idea works or it doesn't!  If it doesn't, nobody loses anything.  If it does, everybody gains.
    One final issue - if you receive austraLasia by RSS and not by email, these links to Boscowiki are not clickable for security reasons.  Write to me and I will give you the access you need.
    When there is a new translation being requested (by me or anyone else) I will always include a clickable link at the end of the next austraLasia to follow its appearance.  JBF.