What might get lost in translation

Here's an interesting article about the challenges of translating the Latin of the Mass and the corresponding priestly gestures into other languages where the cultures are very different.

Despite what the cardinal says, the recent history of Catholic Christianity shows that for the Vatican, "the unity of the Church" precisely "require(s) a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity."

The Church in Japan and the rest of Asia is preparing new Mass translations. The rule that Rome has issued for this work is that Asian Catholics must celebrate a Western liturgy using literal translations of a Latin text as well as gestures that come from a Mediterranean cultural context.

So, Japanese bishops have had to argue repeatedly against re-inserting the kissing of the altar into the liturgy here. In Japan, the kiss is a sexual gesture, not one of reverence as it sometimes is in European countries. Yet, the Roman insistence on uniformity has made even that little recognition of cultural diversity a struggle. It appears that since sex enters the picture, the curial officials involved have finally agreed to back down and allow some form of bow instead.

The response to the greeting, "The Lord be with you," presents another difficulty. The Latin text that must be translated literally is, "Et cum spiritu tuo" (And with your spirit).

However, there is no Japanese equivalent to the Latin word, spiritus. The only words that come remotely close mean "spook" or a word that is usually used in a hyper-nationalistic way about "the Japanese spirit." The curial response to native-Japanese-speakers who try to point out that difficulty has been that they just do not know their own language well enough.

But there is also the danger of syncretism and of letting the culture change the Catholic faith rather than the Catholic faith change the culture. Interesting challenges, for sure.