A question on Mass for polyglots

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For those who speak more than one language - have you attended Mass in your second, third, fourth etc language? did you respond differently?
 
Hokomai said:
For those who speak more than one language - have you attended Mass in your second, third, fourth etc language? did you respond differently?
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In rome, Lourdes and Fatima, it is quite common to have some parts of liturgy said in different languages.
For me, If I understand, I pray in the other language, even if I do not speak the language but understand the prayer.
If not, in my language.
 
I was baptised in Portuguese. I found it quite strange because I mostly use Portuguese for general day-to-day conversation at home so to hear it used in Mass was very different. But it seems appropriate because at least for Brazilians we seem to talk in a much more religiously focused way often than English speakers. A very common phrase is “if God wills it” and you’d never hear an English speaker say something like that.
 
I grew up with alot of masses in French. Im not fluent but learned the responses. The only thing I could never quite get straight was Ahhh-min vs. Ae-men.
 
It is a common in Hawaii for some parts of some Masses to be said in Hawaiian – usually the responsorial psalm or songs during communion. Sometimes other parts. In some churches, quite a bit is in Hawaiian. I find it annoying. I don’t speak much Hawaiian, and I look around and nobody really seems to be doing anything but repeating sounds without knowing what they are saying. Obviously, you can kind of guess some of it, but it feels like unnecessary political correctness to pander to a tiny minority of the congregation, and I don’t feel like I’m praying. Most Hawaiians are protestants anyway, and the overwhelming number don’t speak much more Hawaiian than I do. I would rather hear Latin or Greek. At least they resemble English.
 
I’ve been to mass in languages that I haven’t understood (or understood on the basis of familiarity with similar languages) or in several languages alternating (the Mass at Rhodes was said in five alternating languages by the same single priest from the Custody of the Holy Land). Other than Latin, I can only respond competently in my first language, though. I could, naturally, pick up the responses as I went, if I knew the language well.
 
Saburo said:
It is a common in Hawaii for some parts of some Masses to be said in Hawaiian – usually the responsorial psalm or songs during communion. Sometimes other parts. In some churches, quite a bit is in Hawaiian. I find it annoying. I don’t speak much Hawaiian, and I look around and nobody really seems to be doing anything but repeating sounds without knowing what they are saying. Obviously, you can kind of guess some of it, but it feels like unnecessary political correctness to pander to a tiny minority of the congregation, and I don’t feel like I’m praying. Most Hawaiians are protestants anyway, and the overwhelming number don’t speak much more Hawaiian than I do. I would rather hear Latin or Greek. At least they resemble English.
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[edited] My grandma is native american and her language is dying. When missionaries first came to the US they were allowed to celebrate parts of mass in the natives tounge in order to convert them. Now that they are all well and converted and our government has pretty much stripped them of everything else in barley 100 years they (and their descendents) are not deserving of the respect of native culture that allowed western claim of the land?

[edited] i am sure some natives…especally older ones…value their spoken language.
 
I’ve attended Masses in Spanish (which I don’t really speak.) It’s fine for every now and then. I think it’s a reminder that the Church is universal. But I don’t think I’d like it all the time because I really enjoy the homilies in my native language.
 
Saburo said:
It is a common in Hawaii for some parts of some Masses to be said in Hawaiian – usually the responsorial psalm or songs during communion. Sometimes other parts. In some churches, quite a bit is in Hawaiian. I find it annoying. I don’t speak much Hawaiian, and I look around and nobody really seems to be doing anything but repeating sounds without knowing what they are saying. Obviously, you can kind of guess some of it, but it feels like unnecessary political correctness to pander to a tiny minority of the congregation, and I don’t feel like I’m praying. Most Hawaiians are protestants anyway, and the overwhelming number don’t speak much more Hawaiian than I do. I would rather hear Latin or Greek. At least they resemble English.
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It’s probably less a matter of political correctness and more a matter of the tastes of the priest or music ministers. Are they predominatly native Hawaiian? I used to attend a church where a ton of the hymns were Spanish at a certain Mass. There was only about four families in the parish that regularly attended that were Spanish-only, but it seemed like they were all in the choir that sang at the Mass. It was a little strange to me at first, but no one really seemed to mind. Most of them probably thought, “Well, I"M sure not getting up there to sing so we’ll just sit back and enjoy what these fine follks are doing.”
 
I’ve never attended a Mass in Spanish, but I would like to one day. There is a plethora of those around here. Even though I speak it, I still think I would need a missal to follow along since I don’t know the responses.
 
purplesunshine said:
[edited] My grandma is native american and her language is dying. When missionaries first came to the US they were allowed to celebrate parts of mass in the natives tounge in order to convert them. Now that they are all well and converted and our government has pretty much stripped them of everything else in barley 100 years they (and their descendents) are not deserving of the respect of native culture that allowed western claim of the land?

[edited] i am sure some natives…especally older ones…value their spoken language.
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I say… Well said purplesunshine. I’ve been to a few masses in Scottish Gaelic, of which I’ve no more than a few phrases, and found it lovely. Regarding your grandma and her dying language, I well remember an old priest whose first language was Gaelic - although probably like your grandma the educational establishment tried to beat it out of him- telling me that english was all very well for talking to people but that having the “tongue”(Gaelic) was preferential when talking to God.
 
In my home parish we use both English and Ukrainian in the Divine Liturgy. Some of the chants are in English, others in Ukrainian, so it keeps both the American-born and the immigrant population involved and interested. The homilies are usually given in both languages, so the service is a bit longer. No one seems to mind, though! 🙂

I usually attend Mass with my Latin rite husband and that’s all in English. I wondered if Latin is ever interspersed in the OF Mass, the way Ukrainian is in the Divine Liturgy. I think that would be kind of cool.
 
Let’s see, my mother tongue is French but I’m fluent in English. I regularly attend Mass in English because there are no French Masses where I live. Even after 35 years of Mass in English, attending Mass in my mother tongue is still a pleasure. I say my prayers in French.

I’ve attended Mass in Latin, not a problem and in Innuaemun, one of the aboriginal languages in these parts. While I don’t understand many words in that language, the Eucharistic Prayer is the Eucharistic Prayer regardless of the language.
 
I’m more comfortable in English for Liturgy even though Tagalog is my native tongue. I do get to attend Tagalog Masses when I am back home in the Philippines, but I still prefer English. A lot of the Tagalog used in the Liturgy is antiquated and very formal, that hardly anyone uses anymore.

In my Ukrainian parish, I now the basic replies in Ukrainian. I do not speak Ukrainian. Sometimes I would sing in a very low voice in English if a certain hymn is done in Ukrainian.
 
Hokomai said:
For those who speak more than one language - have you attended Mass in your second, third, fourth etc language? did you respond differently?
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I am fluent in Spanish (you have to be to practice law in South Texas) and attend Spanish Mass periodically.

If the Mass is said reverently and the music is not (as we say down here) fidi-fidi, it is almost a Latin Mass.

The translation is pretty close. I always wondered why we said “And also with you” in English and said “Y con tu espiritu” in Spanish. Well, now with the new translation, the translation will be the same in both languages (And with your spirit/Y con tu espiritu).

The odd thing is that some translations vary depending on which nationality’s Spanish translation is being used. For example, in Mexican Spanish translations of Sanctus, it is “Santo, Santo, Santo es el senor dios del universo” (Lord God of Universe) while in some other Spanish translations it is "Santo, Santo, Santo es el Senor Dios de los ejercitos (Lord God of the armies [or of hosts]). If God of power and might was a weak translation that got struck, then God of the Universe is equally or more weak. (I’ve wondered whether this should be even be translated. Sabbaoth was not a Latin word. Hosanna is neither English or Latin. Why can’t we just keep the word Sabbaoth instead of coming up with inadequate translations like “power and might,” “hosts,” “del universo,” “de los ejercitos” so on and so forth. But I digress.)
 
PacoG said:
I am fluent in Spanish (you have to be to practice law in South Texas) and attend Spanish Mass periodically.

If the Mass is said reverently and the music is not (as we say down here) fidi-fidi, it is almost a Latin Mass.

The translation is pretty close. I always wondered why we said “And also with you” in English and said “Y con tu espiritu” in Spanish. Well, now with the new translation, the translation will be the same in both languages (And with your spirit/Y con tu espiritu).

The odd thing is that some translations vary depending on which nationality’s Spanish translation is being used. For example, in Mexican Spanish translations of Sanctus, it is “Santo, Santo, Santo es el senor dios del universo” (Lord God of Universe) while in some other Spanish translations it is "Santo, Santo, Santo es el Senor Dios de los ejercitos (Lord God of the armies [or of hosts]). If God of power and might was a weak translation that got struck, then God of the Universe is equally or more weak. (I’ve wondered whether this should be even be translated. Sabbaoth was not a Latin word. Hosanna is neither English or Latin. Why can’t we just keep the word Sabbaoth instead of coming up with inadequate translations like “power and might,” “hosts,” “del universo,” “de los ejercitos” so on and so forth. But I digress.)
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“De los ejercitos” strikes me as a perfectly good translation. Although you’re right that Sabaoth was not translated into Latin where it is used in the Sanctus, the same Hebrew phrase is, throughout the Vulgate, frequently translated “Dominus exercituum” (“Lord of armies”). I’m sure you see the connection between exercitus and ejercito immediately.
 
I speak three languages and can understand all three fine during mass but I much prefer going to mass in Spanish 🙂

Even though i speak more English during everyday life than Spanish it’s still odd for me to go to mass in English. I first learned all the responses and all my prayers in Spanish so that holds a special place in my heart. I don’t even know all of the responses in English!

I have friends that were born here in the US who speak poor Spanish but don’t know even basic prayers in English, i find this pretty funny
 
MarkThompson said:
“De los ejercitos” strikes me as a perfectly good translation. Although you’re right that Sabaoth was not translated into Latin where it is used in the Sanctus, the same Hebrew phrase is, throughout the Vulgate, frequently translated “Dominus exercituum” (“Lord of armies”). I’m sure you see the connection between exercitus and ejercito immediately.
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My criticism is of the Mexican Missal translation…Senor Dios del universo (Lord God of the universe). I agree that Senor Dios de los ejercitos (from the Spanish Missal among others) is the better translation.
 
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