Dear All,
In this, the penultimate edition of our translators newsletter, I would like to inform you that the Ratio text is as ready as it can be in English and Italian (no other languages at the moment) for presentation to GC29. The last little details were finalised on 31 December 2024! It has been a process extending over five years in all, and might just extend a little way into 2025 before the eventual final print. As it would be inappropriate to present GC29 with a fait accompli, in the sense that the Chapter receives it as complete and finalised in every detail, leaving no room to move, it will be presented as a text (maybe in an ad hoc limited print version to meet the exigencies of the moment) that is presumably complete unless the Chapter wishes otherwise.
So, two things in this regard as far as translators are concerned:
If you feel you need to get ahead on this (it is, after all, nearly 300 A4 pages worth), I would be happy to provide you with the text. You certainly would not have your translation completed by the end of the Chapter, so if there are any changes, they could be easily incorporated.
But do you recall the most recent Best Practice no. 46 on intertextual analysis? On how to actually ‘read’ a text that you are about to translate? Well I would like to follow this up with this week’s Best Practice. After spending not just weeks, or months, but years working with others on the English version of the Ratio, I feel I can offer something in this respect. It began with translating from contributions in a number of languages from all over the Salesian world that were the starting point after GC28 for work on the revised Ratio. I worked closely, through the regular kinds of technological connections we have today (email, video...), with the various teams, focus groups that have been at work on the Ratio under the guidance of Fr Ivo Coelho, Formation Councillor, to see that the English version (which, although not the official ‘editio typica’ is nonetheless the original mother tongue for this Ratio) is as good as it can be to present to GC29. And that meant working through many processes all associated with translation in one way or another. For example, just constructing the Index took many weeks of work, requiring a very thorough analytical reading and analysis of the text. Indexes don’t just happen. They have to be carefully constructed. Then there is the fact that the Ratio text ‘echoes’ many other documents that are part of the Salesian tradition, and all of these had to be found and the translation checked for accuracy. And finally, any translation of this importance needs to be carefully read and checked by at least one other mother tongue speaker. All of this has taken place. Could there still be errors? Of course! That is the nature of translation!
The Best Practice is called ‘Towards Wisdom’, and is an introduction to a way of reading the Ratio that is inspired by 12th century Parisian teacher, Hugh of St Victor. I hope it can whet your appetite for reading the new Ratio.
best_practice_47_Towards-Wisdom.docx