By Fr. Leo Mang

Anisakan, Myanmar, 18 August 2019 -- In a few days time the 2nd EAO Salesian Translators Workshop will be held in Mynamar. We are happy to welcome the participants from almost all of the East Asia - Oceania provinces, both SDBs and other members of the Salesian Family. The main goal of the 2nd EAO Workshop is to assist, support and form Salesian Translators in their not so easy but very important ministry with the necessary motivation, technique, and collaborative way of working. This time the wisdom will be contained in a draft of the future 'Salesian Translators Handbook'.

Some 33 Salesian translators are heading to Anisakan from 10 of the EAO provinces. During their preparation path they have shared their experience, expectations, needs and also the main achievements of the past 5 years. The previous (first) EAO Translators Workshop was held in Vietnam last October 2014.

This time the Workshop materials are already available online (Boscolink) in a single 'package' that contains the Salesian Glossary (450 Salesian terms), all available interview and survey of 2014 and 2019 as well the Working document. Also those who are not able to join the Workshop, can take advantage of the preparation process consisting of interviews, interactive survey and work on the Salesian Glossary (Italian - English - EAO languages).

Fr. Angel Fr. Artime, our Rector Major, send already his video message to the participants (YouTube)

My dear confreres, my dear sisters, dear lay people,




A warm and truly affectionate greeting to all of you while you are gathered for a special event: the meeting of the translators of the East Asia-Oceania region, in Myanmar.




I am really happy about initiatives like these. They are the fruit of a profound and rich vision. It is the result of the efforts of many people, confreres, sisters, who translate our messages, news which is good and true, the words and greetings of the Rector Major or others, for all our Salesian Family around the world.




Doing it in so many languages really means having a vision, because if the message arrives and is understandable, then it will have a great impact. I am happy that so many publications, including audio-visual productions, are now produced in forty-three languages. Congratulations for this.




We have more than a hundred mother tongues in the region, along with others in the Congregation. Continuing to grow with this sensitivity and investing time and energy as you do now in this meeting of translators in the region is a very significant things to do.




I wish to thank you and encourage you to continue on this path. Do not be discouraged, because I assure you that the work you do - so often silent, often anonymous, that seems unrecognised - is actually very important and highly appreciated.




Thank you for your great work, and let's advance in being good communicators of good news, news which are true, messages of life and salvation, of real education for the good of boys and girls, all young people and their families. Let's always try to draw everyone ever closer to the Lord Jesus and his gospel.




Affectionate greetings to all,




Fr Ángel Fernández Artime

The Salesian Translator’s Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for entrusting me with a wonderful mission

as a translator in the Salesian Family.

Help me to understand what this article, this book is telling me –

show me the true meaning and how to express it in my own language,

so that it will help to build up the Church

and give growth to the Salesian charism.

Amen.

Video message of the Rector Major (2019)

EAO Translators Workshop materials for download (Boscolink)

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