austraLasia #2029

An interesting translation tale with a Salesian twist

ROME: 17th January 2008 -- The Salesian Family Spirituality Days begin in Rome today, 27th January.  They are the most heavily booked of the series over its 26 years of existence - a response, no doubt to intense interest in the Rector Major's challenging strenna for 2008.  There is just a handful, a rather small handful, of participants from EAO region.  That's just by way of broad introduction to a story that is not related directly to these special Days ahead, but it is to the Salesian Family.
    If you receive the www.sdb.org fortnightly newsletter, you will see that we have switched to a little rubric which says 'Do you want to help us out with translation' or something to that effect (rather than what we were saying before - 'there is a new translation interface on sdb.org').  The question rather than the statement is having most interesting results.
    Recently I was contacted by someone responding to that question.  She lives in another part of the world altogether - in a very troubled little nation (I'm leaving out names of people and places), but she is of South American extraction, writes, and I presume speaks faultless English, handles French well enough and of course has Spanish as a mother tongue.  A couple of questions she asked me suggested her immediate Salesian connections might be tenuous, so I asked her to fill me in a little on what her Salesian connections actually were.  Here's what she gave me:
    "We are relations of Dorothea Chopitea. My mother's family is a descendant of a sister of Dorothea. My grand mother met Don Bosco [this lady must be of reasonable age!] and Don Orione and I keep letters from the latter to her".  She goes on to explain that in the country she is in, it is not safe for her to be outside so she works from home and is looking for things to do. Her husband works and it is safe enough for him to leave the house she believes, but not for her. So in her solitude, she has turned to the Salesian Web Page and...voilà!  She wants to help out with the translation of material on the Salesian Saints and Blesseds, especially in Spanish.
    I thought, given the 'Salesian Family' emphasis right at the moment in the Salesian world, this little anecdote might be of interest. (And with holidays in some parts of the EAO region, not a lot of other news is flowing in at the moment!). I am sure this good woman would appreciate the prayers of readers, and we certainly appreciate her obvious competence and the fact that the Good Lord has inspired her to give a helping hand. It's a 'good' cyberspace story to share!
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Title: australasia 2029
Subject and key words: SDB General Translation
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2029