The New Roman Missal: Understanding the new translation

Introduction

Changing the prayers of the Mass is something we Catholics should not take lightly. Dioceses and parishes throughout the English-speaking world are now in the process of adopting the new translation of those very prayers. In 2009, the bishops of the United States of America approved a brand new English translation. The Churches in US will start using the new translation as from Advent season of 2011.

A Brief Background

In the mid-1960’s prior to the Second Vatican Council, Mass was only celebrated in Latin throughout the world. As part of the process of liturgical renewal called for by the Council Fathers, Pope Paul VI in 1970 approved a new version of the Roman Missal to be used for all celebrations of the Eucharist throughout the Church. All the texts in this Missal were in Latin, which was still the official language of the universal Church.

With time, the Roman Missal was translated in many languages, including an official English translation which was published in 1973. Two years later, i.e. in 1975, a second edition of the Roman Missal came out, followed by yet another English translation. The English translation of the 1975 Missal has served English-speaking Catholics ever since, and this is the version we all are so familiar with.

In 2000, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II approved a new revised edition of the Roman Missal, and it is the English translation of that edition that we would soon begin to use in our Churches as from Advent season of this year 2011. Note- this latest translation is characterized by a slightly more formal style of English and a grammatical structure that stays closer to the Latin of the Roman Missal. In Addition, many biblical and poetic images that were not retained in the 1975 English translation have been restored in this new translation.

Please keep in mind that the new translation is not for the people of United States alone. It is an English translation that will be used by all English-speaking Catholics all over the world. This new translation was fashioned by a group of linguists, Bible Scholars and liturgical experts from 11 different English-speaking countries. The group’s official name is International Committee on English in the Liturgy. Their task was to fashion a translation that will be suitable for all English-speaking Catholics around the globe.

Do not worry when you meet some unfamiliar words; with time, you will become more comfortable with the new translation just as you are with the previous one.

Translation from Latin to English

Translating a text from one language to another is never an easy project. In doing this, various approaches can be adopted, and which ever method is used to translate a text, for example from Latin to English, has both advantages and disadvantages. One widely used method of translation is called “dynamic equivalence.” To some degree, dynamic equivalence was the method used by the English translators of 1975 Roman Missal- that is, the Mass Prayers we all are familiar with, and we have been using it for more than thirty years. In dynamic equivalence method, the translators are free to paraphrase, that is, to use words that explain or define what they believed was the intended meaning of the original Latin text. In some cases, the reason to paraphrase is to make a translation more culturally specific, more natural to the ears of the listeners in a particular place and time. This approach- dynamic equivalence- sounds good and intelligent, but oftentimes translators who use this method must choose between various possible meanings of a word or phrase. And when they finally settle on a particular paraphrase, it can obscure or even eliminate other real meanings inherent in the original text. Also, a translation method that paraphrases the prayers of the Mass may decide to do away with some of the poetic images and biblical references that were present in the original Latin text.

The prayers of the Mass familiar to all of us are a product of dynamic equivalence. But the new translation coming our way is more of a Direct Equivalence translation. The group of translators who chose this method had good reasons for choosing it. The direct equivalence method is also the method being used by modern Catholic Scripture scholars when they translate the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek texts. Paraphrasing a text depends on a scholar’s opinion or the opinion of a committee, about the meaning of a given word or phrase. The direct equivalence method, on the other hand, limits translation as far as possible to a single English word that corresponds to one Latin word. In the translation of the Roman Missal from Latin to English, it is important to ensure the words are linguistically faithful to the original Latin text and also be theologically appropriate.

Here is one familiar example of a dynamic equivalence translation from the 1975 English translations: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed. This prayer is a paraphrase of the original Latin text. And because of the paraphrase, the scriptural roots of the prayer are no longer conspicuous. Some of us may not even know that that prayer has scriptural origins.

In the new English translation of that prayer, which is a prayer before Holy Communion, we have this; Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed. This prayer is drawn from the centurion’s words to Jesus in Matthew 8:8. This is what a direct equivalence translation is all about because it is a word-for-word translation, very close to a literal translation of the Latin prayer in the 2000 edition of the Roman Missal.

Another example of a paraphrased translation in the English Mass prayers used since 1975 is:

Priest: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

But in the new English translation we have:

Priest: The Lord be with you (in Latin Dominus vobiscum).

People: And with your spirit (Et cum spiritu tuo).

This new translation is, in fact, a literal, word-for-word translation into English of the Latin Roman Missal. Like the words of the centurion given above, it is also a recovery of the translation used between 1973 and 1975. By using this more direct translation of words in the Mass that go back many centuries, we can honestly say when speaking these words, that we are using the same words used by our ancestors in the faith.

Switching from saying “And also with you” to saying “And with your spirit” has important theological implications. The response “And with your spirit” recognizes the profoundly spiritual character of the prayerful dialogue that takes places between the priest and the people at Mass. It also acknowledges the spiritual dimension of every man and woman- that we are not only bodily beings but also spiritual beings.

Finally, the new translation does not only give a new translation, but it also gives alternative prayers. For instance, the Dismissal has these:

Go forth, the Mass is ended.

Or: Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

Or: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

Or: Go in peace.

Conclusion and Advice

Change is not always an easy experience. Changing from what one is familiar with to something new sometimes causes irritation. If you get upset with the new Mass translation or with the Church, remember that the Church has a very good reason for embarking on this new translation. The leaders of the Church know what they are doing. They have put together professionals who studied the work long and hard. The translations were discussed and revised over and over again in order to make them both accurate and meaningful to English-speaking Catholics everywhere in the world.

Remember when the Mass was only in Latin. Remember when the priest and the assembly were facing the same direction. After Vatican II, it took some time for Catholics to get used to the Mass being said in vernacular, with priest and assembly facing each other across the altar of the Eucharist. This is not the first time the Roman Missal has been revised. Revision of the words of the Mass has been done before; just the same way people got familiar with former revisions, so also we will. But keep in mind that the prayers of the Mass are not an end in themselves, but a means, a means to unite us with the Risen Lord, and a means to nourish that union.

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Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR; Holy Names Church, Memphis, TN, March 2011. Culled from “Prayers of the Mass: Understanding the Changes by Mitch Finley”