Dear All,
Last week in the Best Practice I mentioned adopting a truly pastoral understanding of the translator's role, adding, ‘as perhaps Don Bosco understood it’. Over time, I believe this idea should engage our interest, your contributions (hence the title ‘pastoral translation - 1’), but I thought I would begin by bringing something to your attention that has happened in our region this month, and which you should be aware of: The FABC support for translation of pastoral literature. What follows is taken directly from the FABC website.
An in-person, face-to-face meeting of translators in Bangkok:
Bangkok, Thailand, 10 June 2024 — The Office of Social Communication of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) successfully concluded its Pastoral Literature Translation Workshop, held from 4 to 10 June 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop brought together 44 translators from 16 languages across Asia to enhance their skills in translating pastoral literature, fostering better communication within the diverse linguistic landscape of the region.
In his inspiring inaugural address, Cardinal Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang, Malaysia, Chairman of the Office of Social Communication in FABC, highlighted the vital role of translators, stating, “A translator becomes the connecting point between the author and the reader. The translator of pastoral literature is faithful to what is in the source language, and is open to the dynamics of the target language.” He urged all participants to be ‘missionary disciples’ through their work.
The workshop was expertly facilitated by a team from SIL, renowned for their expertise in linguistics and translation. The sessions covered a range of essential topics, including translation principles, methods, tools, and strategies, equipping participants with practical knowledge and skills.
Yesu Karunanidhi from India expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “The workshop has opened me to the languages of the world and the world of languages.” Similarly, Caroline Maria Damayanti Nugroho from Indonesia appreciated the networking opportunities, stating, “I can connect to different people who are involved in the work of translation. The workshop has enabled me to network and collaborate.” Mr. Chun Chien Wu from Taiwan shared his personal growth, noting, “I have improved my confidence level in translation.” Nawalage Lovi Godfrey Cooray, a veteran translator-participant from Sri Lanka remarked, “This workshop reminded me that I am not alone in this entire endeavour of translation.”
The event was organized under the guidance of Fr. George Plathottam SDB, Executive Secretary to the FABC Office of Social Communication, who ensured the workshop’s smooth execution. A resource book titled Handbook for Translators with hands-on lessons and guidelines for translators was prepared and used for the workshop.
This workshop marks a significant step in enhancing the quality and reach of pastoral literature across Asia, contributing to more effective communication and understanding within the Church’s diverse communities.
The Best Practice is a statement from the above group. It is well worth the attentive consideration of every Salesian translator in the region.
RESOURCES
* Mention was made a few weeks ago of the AI feature added to < https://www.salesian.online/ >. There has been more development, and I invite you to watch the brief video on that site by Fr Michal Vojtas, explaining how to use it, since ChatGPT has now been tailored to draw from any materials on that site. But there is more to come. This is the ability to use AI to search Salesian resources. WATCH THIS SPACE! We will keep you informed.
*A resource that was not included a few weeks back is the classic work by Francis Desramaut, 100 Keywords of Salesian Spirituality (which he compiled in 1998-2000 and which was translated into English in 2023). You can find it either on SDL (don't forget to 'expand document') or Boscolink. Of particular interest could be a search on ‘accompaniment’, given what we said last week about it being an emerging metaphor that has now become a fully-fledged one. You can clearly see this in Desramaut’s work: he places it under ‘spiritual direction’ but acknowledges that ‘it can be translated mentally, and without any problem, by “spiritual accompaniment”.’ Were he writing this today, he may well have included ‘spiritual accompaniment’ as the keyword, and made subsequent reference within that to spiritual direction.
* Recently added to SDL is Fr Joseph Van Am's Vietnamese translation of Fr Bozzolo's work on the Dream at 9 years of age. You may want to let any Vietnamese confreres or members of the SF know about this resource. The English translation of course is available at the same site.
Do YOU have a resource you would like to offer, or an idea you would like to explore? Of course you do! So please share it.
And don’t forget that you can find all past issues of this newsletter, and best practices at https://www.bosco.link/translation