[Cronos]

Ever since I moved here a year ago, I've only heard Mass in English twice -- once in Warsaw and once in Prague (and Good Friday Service in Prague too), so this won't affect me much. The more I learn Polish, the more I realise how a lot of the various arguments we have in the English speaking world between Catholics and others can be just down to language. I also attended mass last week in German and while I could remember some of my German (trying to forget it as my wife hates the sound of that language!), I was still also struck by how imprecise English can be at times.

And this very impreciseness leads to disputes over words that don't resonate in other languages!

[sayuncledave]

You’re right. English can be pretty imprecise.

I forget where I first read about this, but there also a number of methods for translation, with what I’d guess might be termed the two primary ones being what Father Z calls slavishly literal, a completely direct, word-for-word. Then you have the idiomatic one, where an attempt is made to convey the intended meaning in spite of differences in language.

My thought was always that the current translation was more of the latter, and that those who performed the translation focused on what they felt was being said, as opposed to being literal. I’ve seen articles where people castigated them for what they felt was malignant intent, but I always thought the translators were aiming for modern language, as they saw it, and did some paraphrasing. I do look forward to the new translation. But I’m just as happy with going to Latin Mass. I’d love to go to a German or Polish Mass, as well.