Rome & Tokyo Close In on Agreement over Missal Translation

[janeway529]

Via UCA News:

For years work has been underway to revise the Japanese Missal, but the task of updating the 1978 edition has proven to be a thorny problem.

The work is daunting. The goal is not so much a word-for-word, literal translation as one based upon a close examination of the cultural background and the particular linguistic characteristics of Japan. The actions and gestures used in the liturgy require equally painstaking care.

Perhaps the biggest complication has been that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, whose approval is required for any new translation, has until now requested translations that adhere closely to the Latin original.

Recently however, “the atmosphere in the Congregation has changed dramatically,” said Bishop Masahiro Umemura of Yokohama, president of the Committee for the Liturgy at the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Japan (CBCJ).

Read It All: ucanews.com/news/rome-and-tokyo-close-in-on-agreement-over-missal-translation/70732


The 1978 edition of the Japanese Missal

 

[otjm]

From reading the full article, it sounds as if someone previously had not been listening. This news seems very positive.

 

[Brendan]

I can’t see why this is such a big deal. What is the common term for "Holy Spirit’ in Japanese, and use the form of ‘Spirit’.

Because that is exactly what the response entails, it is an address to the power of the Holy Spirit given at Ordination.

 

[ProVobis]

I’d be anxious to read Patrick457’s comments on this matter.

Also from the article,

“In the future, I expect Rome to give the bishops’ conferences of each nation her unreserved trust, and to entrust matters to them accordingly.”

Sounds like a too bold statement to make IMO. Do they wish to work with Rome on doctrinal standards or not?

From other articles I’ve read, some of the bishops’ conferences have delayed implementing the “for many” clause into the consecration. Do they hope the Vatican forgets about it now?

 

[YoungTradCath]

Do they hope the Vatican forgets about it now?

Well, obviously.

 

[patrick457]

I can’t see why this is such a big deal. What is the common term for "Holy Spirit’ in Japanese, and use the form of ‘Spirit’.

Because that is exactly what the response entails, it is an address to the power of the Holy Spirit given at Ordination.

The term for ‘Holy Spirit’ is Seirei (聖霊). On the one hand I can understand the concern, since the word for ‘spirit’, rei (霊) does pretty much have the same connotation which “ghost” or “soul” has in modern English, if more: it pretty much conjures up images of, well, ghosts (bōrei 亡霊), ‘earth-bound spirits’ (jibakurei 地縛霊), haigorei (背後霊, ghosts who appear behind people’s backs), or even evil spirits (akuryō 悪霊) - notice they all contain the character 霊. What apparently is being feared here is that people might imagine ‘disembobied souls’ rather than spiritus when the literal translation (またあなたの霊と共に mata anata no rei to tomo ni) is used.

But then again, I think the people on this page (from 2007!) have said it best: since the Catholic usage of the word rei is already different from the popular understanding of it (cf. Seirei), surely doing what the Vatican says won’t hurt. Or, if rei is such a negative word, why not find a better alternative term (the commenter gave mitama 御霊/御魂 (honorable prefix mi- + tama ‘soul, spirit’) as an example)?

(Seirei 聖霊 is actually homophonic with the word for ‘soul’/‘life force’ (usually of a dead person), seirei 精霊.)

P.S. I can tell the text in the picture is an old one since it transliterates Jesus’ name in the traditional Catholic manner (イエズス Iezusu, from Latin) instead of Iesu (イエス), the modern standard among Catholics and Protestants.

Sounds like a too bold statement to make IMO. Do they wish to work with Rome on doctrinal standards or not?

AFAIK the CBCJ is actually sometimes criticized for seeming to try to become independent of Rome.

 

[CharlesG]

I’m a bit skeptical when they say there is no way to say “spirit” in Japanese. This is exactly why Liturgiam Authenticam was necessary, so that a better effort would be made to render the words and concepts of the Latin original into the vernacular. I speak Chinese and am familiar with the Chinese liturgical translations, and it seems to me the Chinese have had no problem translating concepts like “spirit” into Chinese, and their translations generally seem more or less faithful to the Latin. And this is another Asian language that is far from Indo-European. Perhaps Japanese could just borrow the Chinese word 心靈（心灵, xinling）, as in “也与伱的心灵同在”? Also, the Vatican II and Post-Vatican II documents, while providing for the Bishops’ conferences to take the lead on translations, all give the Holy See the overall regulatory authority over the Roman rite and require a recognitio from Rome for all liturgical translations, so it needs to be a two way street, not just whatever the local bishops’ council wants.

 

[johnmann]

I can’t see why this is such a big deal. What is the common term for "Holy Spirit’ in Japanese, and use the form of ‘Spirit’.

Because that is exactly what the response entails, it is an address to the power of the Holy Spirit given at Ordination.

It’s not so simple. If we were translating the Mass into English a hundred years ago, you might have argued for the term, “And with your ghost,” since the third person of the Trinity is the Holy Ghost. Others would have reasonably argued that “ghost” conjures up images of disembodied souls. In every language, “Holy Ghost,” or “Holy Spirit” is practically a proper name so there’s no confusion. But “ghost” or “spirit” alone can have a different connotation.

 

[Brendan]

It’s not so simple. If we were translating the Mass into English a hundred years ago, you might have argued for the term, “And with your ghost,” since the third person of the Trinity is the Holy Ghost. Others would have reasonably argued that “ghost” conjures up images of disembodied souls. In every language, “Holy Ghost,” or “Holy Spirit” is practically a proper name so there’s no confusion. But “ghost” or “spirit” alone can have a different connotation.

I understand. German is like that. The noun "Geist’ directly translated, means 'Ghost;, such as Poltergeist

But likewise it CAN denote a spirit, such as the Holy Spirt’ " Heiliger Geist" or even a mindset such as Hagel’s philosophical World Mind, " Weltgeist"

The connotations seem very similar to Rei.

The point then becomes, if that is the word that refers to the Holy Spirit, and the Church desires to refer to the Spirit at work in the priest, then it is more of an education issue by the bishops.

I think that if the Germans can distinguish between a Heilger Geist and a PolterGeist, the Japanese should be able to as well.

 

[patrick457]

I’m a bit skeptical when they say there is no way to say “spirit” in Japanese. This is exactly why Liturgiam Authenticam was necessary, so that a better effort would be made to render the words and concepts of the Latin original into the vernacular. I speak Chinese and am familiar with the Chinese liturgical translations, and it seems to me the Chinese have had no problem translating concepts like “spirit” into Chinese, and their translations generally seem more or less faithful to the Latin. And this is another Asian language that is far from Indo-European. Perhaps Japanese could just borrow the Chinese word 心靈（心灵, xinling）, as in “也与伱的心灵同在”? Also, the Vatican II and Post-Vatican II documents, while providing for the Bishops’ conferences to take the lead on translations, all give the Holy See the overall regulatory authority over the Roman rite and require a recognitio from Rome for all liturgical translations, so it needs to be a two way street, not just whatever the local bishops’ council wants.

Actually the word 心霊 does exist in Japanese (as shinrei), but again, it is mainly used on the popular level in the context of paranormal phenomena: for example 心霊写真 (shinrei-shashin) ‘spirit photography’, 心霊主義 (shinrei shugi) ‘Spiritualism’, 心霊現象 (shinrei genshō) ‘paranormal phenomena’ or 心霊治療 (shinrei chiryō) ‘psychic healing’.

I should just point out that the Japanese Orthodox (which have their own unique translations of the Divine Liturgy and the Bible - made in the 19th century by Nicholas of Japan, using archaic Japanese) render ‘Holy Spirit’ as 聖神 Seishin. There “And with your spirit” is there rendered as 爾の神 にも (Nanji no shin ni mo). It preserves the distinction in Greek - and Slavonic? - between pneuma / доухъ duhŭ (= 神 shin) and psyche / доуша dusha (= 霊 rei).

 

[johnmann]

Actually the word 心霊 does exist in Japanese (as shinrei), but again, it is mainly used on the popular level in the context of paranormal phenomena: for example 心霊写真 (shinrei-shashin) ‘spirit photography’, 心霊主義 (shinrei shugi) ‘Spiritualism’, 心霊現象 (shinrei genshō) ‘paranormal phenomena’ or 心霊治療 (shinrei chiryō) ‘psychic healing’.

I should just point out that the Japanese Orthodox (which have their own unique translations of the Divine Liturgy and the Bible - made in the 19th century by Nicholas of Japan, using archaic Japanese) render ‘Holy Spirit’ as 聖神 Seishin. There “And with your spirit” is there rendered as 爾の神 にも (Nanji no shin ni mo). It preserves the distinction in Greek - and Slavonic? - between pneuma / доухъ duhŭ (= 神 shin) and psyche / доуша dusha (= 霊 rei).

Interesting. The Koreans used 聖神 then switched to 聖靈 more recently in line with the Chinese.

 

[johnmann]

I think that if the Germans can distinguish between a Heilger Geist and a PolterGeist, the Japanese should be able to as well.

I could be harder in Japan because Catholics are a small minority and therefore the non-Catholic use of words is how they’re more commonly understood. In a similar way, in English, we could continue to use “ejaculations” and explain it every time we use it, or we can’t just say “short prayers.”

It seems that in Japan, the bishops want to use a different word in “And with your spirit” while retaining the word in “Holy Spirit.” While either decisions in isolation is understandable, it would certainly be preferable to use the same term in both for the reason you stated. One option is to update the word for “Holy Spirit.” It could be a jarring change but one that should be considered. It’s been done in other languages.

At any rate, it seems like with Pope Francis at the helm, liturgical discipline is taking a back seat so the Japanese bishops may get what they want.