The Joy of Love - some poor translations

About a year and a half ago, I wrote an article on the way Pope Francis was being translated. Again I find myself frustrated by the English translation of a writing of Pope Francis. This time it’s his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia.

Since I read and understand English much better than Spanish, I first read the document in English and then began comparing the passages I liked in English with their Spanish parallels.

I found, in some cases, that the English translation is quite mundane when compared with the Spanish translation. In other places, it seems to soften the edge of the Spanish and miss the poetry. If anyone knows Italian, it would be useful to see how that language puts these passages.

Here are some passages I found most problematic.

Paragraph 183 reads:

"For their part, open and caring families find a place for the poor and build friendships with those less fortunate than themselves."

I was very taken aback by the term “less fortunate” which is not found in the Spanish.

"En cambio, las familias abiertas y solidarias hacen espacio a los pobres, son capaces de tejer una amistad con quienes lo están pasando peor que ellas".

The Spanish is hard to translate but here's my attempt: 

"On the other hand, families that are open and [live in] solidarity make a place for the poor, they are able to weave a friendship with those who are passing worse than they are."

Note that the English version has families "finding" a place for the poor where the Spanish has them "making" a space. The English also talks about "building" friendships where the Spanish uses a different analogy - "weaving".

But the one phrase that really disturbs me is the use of the term "less fortunate." This is a term that I really despise. For me this is a way to dismiss or put down the poor, defining them as "less fortunate." In addition, poverty is thus seen as the result of fortune (or fate).

But look at the Spanish. It sees the situation of the person as "going through" a worse situation; it does not define those experiencing poverty as "poor" or "less fortunate."

Paragraph 219 in English reads: 

"Young love needs to keep dancing towards the future with immense hope."

I like this translation. The English expresses the need for young lovers to keep dancing.

But the Spanish has a slightly different meaning:

La danza hacia adelante con ese amor joven, la danza con esos ojos asombrados hacia la esperanza, no debe detenerse.

  

This is not easy to translate but my literal translation from the Spanish shows something more pointed:

"The dance towards the future with this young love, the dance with astonished eyes toward hope, ought not to be held back."

There is a sense that at times this joyful and hopeful dancing encounters obstacles. These must be resisted.

In addition, the English misses the poetry of  “astonished eyes looking forward to hope.”

Paragraph 240 opens with a strong statement:

Many people leave childhood without ever having felt unconditional love. This affects their ability to be trusting and open with others.

But the Spanish is stronger.

Muchos terminan su niñez sin haber sentido jamás que son amados incondicionalmente, y eso lastima su capacidad de confiar y de entregarse.

I translate it this way:

Many end their childhood without ever having felt that they are loved unconditionally; this damages their ability to be trusting and giving of themselves.

“Entregar” does not mean being open; it means handing oneself over. It is often used as a translation of the Latin “traditur” and in the Mass the words of the consecration of the Host include the words “por vobis tradetur”in Latin and “será entregado por ustedes” in Spanish. It is translated in English as “will be given up for you.”

“Entregar” is a very strong word in Spanish. To say that someone is “entregado” is to say that the person is committed, has given his life for a cause. It is a far cry from being “open.” I think that Pope Francis might be suggesting that the lack of experiencing unconditional love as a child may diminish the capacity to commit oneself in marriage. 

Obcuring the point

Chapter four has a beautiful meditation on St. Paul’s reflection on love in 1 Corinthians 13 as well as some fine pastoral notes on marriage. But in several places the chapter headings are misleading.

Paragraph 101 begins the reflection on 1 Corinthians 13, 4, “it does not seek its own interests.”

The English translation entitles the section “Love is generous.” But the Spanish uses a stronger term: “desprendimiento”. This is a difficult word to translate but it can be translated as “detachment.” Interesting the Italian title is “Distacco generoso” which I think can be translated as “generous detachment.” Narrowing the title to generosity seems to miss the importance of putting the other first.

The section beginning with paragraph 123 is entitled “Lifelong sharing,” which expresses an important part of what marriage is called to be.

But the Spanish title is “Toda la vida, todo en común”, literally “All the life, everything in common.” The Italian reads, “Tutta la vita, tutto in commune” which seems to be the same as the Spanish.

Both the Spanish and Italian translations play on the word “all” – “todo”, “tutto” – which is hard to do in English. But the sense is more than sharing and recalls the passages in the Acts of the Apostles 4: 32, where the followers of Christ  are described as holding “everything in common.”

I have not had time to check other parts of this important document on the family, but I hope in the future that the translators are a little more accurate, open to the nuances of Spanish and Italian.

Parsing Pope Francis

I am a stickler for good translations. Maybe it comes from trying to translate documents from Spanish to English in the last few years.

Examining some of the mainline translations of statements and talks of Pope Francis has revealed a few problems.

One is that English translators don’t seem to like the word “fetishism” which Pope Francis has used a number of times. They usually translate it as “idolatry,” which is understandable, but misses the strong sense that fetishism has. Perhaps the relation of this word to Karl Marx’s “fetishism of commodity” has made some translators squeamish. But there is a discussion of fetishism in a Catholic context by John Kavanaugh’s Following Christ in a Consumer Society on pages 33-35 in the 25^th anniversary edition. That discussion opens up the meaning of fetishism and, for me, seems very much closer to what Pope Francis says than the concept of idolatry.

They also seem to have softened the pope's remarks, at least once.

In Brazil Pope Francis told Argentinian young people: “Quiero lío en las diócesis.” It was politely translated as “I want a mess… I want trouble in the dioceses.” It would much better be translated as “Raise a ruckus.”

But there are several places in the English translation of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, where the English translation seems to miss what the Spanish and Italian texts say.

1) Base communities

Paragraph 29 reads:

Other Church institutions, basic communities and small communities, movements, and forms of association are a source of enrichment for the Church, raised up by the Spirit for evangelizing different areas and sectors.

What the English translates as basic communities is “comunidades de base “ in Spanish and “comunità di base” in Italian. Anyone who has studied Latin America in the last 45 years would know that “comunidades de base” are a specific structure of evangelization which are called “base communities.” They grew up in the 1960s and was recommended as an important part in the renovation of pastoral structures by the 1968 Conference of Latin American bishops at Medellín.

“Comunidades de base” has been normally tranlated as “base communities,” partly to emphaize that they come from the base of society and of the church. “Basic communities” misses the history, the context, and the sense of the concept.

2) Fetishism - again

Paragraph 55 reads in part:

"The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs alone: consumption."

Reading this translation one would never guess that “idolatry of money and an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose” is in Spanish “el fetichismo del dinero y en la dictadura de la economía sin un rostro y sin un objetivo verdaderamente humano” and, in Italian, “nel feticismo del denaro e nella dittatura di una economia senza volto e senza uno scopo veramente umano.” I think the text would better read “the fetichism of money and the dictatorship of a faceless economy, lacking a truly human purpose.”

3) Mistrust and disenchantment

Paragraph 79 reads, in English: 

At times our media culture and some intellectual circles convey a marked scepticism with regard to the Church’s message, along with a certain cynicism.

“Skepticism” is the English translation for what Spanish translates as “desconfianza” and Italain “sfiducia.” Mistrust would be a better translation in my opinion.

Where the English uses “cynicism,” the Spanish uses “desencanto” and the Italian “disincanto.” Disenchantment or disillusion would seem closer to the intent of this sentence.

To me the English looks like a more “cultural wars” translation. Skepticism and cynicism seem like “fighting words” to me.

4) Protagonists

In paragraph 106, Pope Francis writes of young people and the need for the young to exercise greater leadership. As the English translation reads: 

Even if it is not always easy to approach young people, progress has been made in two areas: the awareness that the entire community is called to evangelize and educate the young, and the urgent need for the young to exercise greater leadership.

That’s all well and good. It is very important that the young take up leadership; but this way of phrasing it makes me think that the young are being called to take up roles of leadership.

Reading the Spanish and the Italian I detect a nuance that makes me think that Pope Francis means something more radical.

He speaks of the urgency that the young have a greater protagonism.

Aunque no siempre es fácil abordar a los jóvenes, se creció en dos aspectos: la conciencia de que toda la comunidad los evangeliza y educa, y la urgencia de que ellos tengan un protagonismo mayor. 

Anche se non sempre è facile accostare i giovani, si sono fatti progressi in due ambiti: la consapevolezza che tutta la comunità li evangelizza e li educa, e l’urgenza che essi abbiano un maggiore protagonismo.

Leadership is one thing, but protagonism means, in my understanding, that they become primary actors.

My experience is that people often talk about involving young people and giving them leadership roles. But when the young want to start making decisions and setting agenda, becoming protagonists, some of the older leaders are not so willing to cede power and authority to them.

5) Entrega or sacrifice

There is one translation that is probably a question of the difficulty of saying some things in English.

In paragraph 269, Pope Francis is translated as writing:

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is nothing else than the culmination of the way he lived his entire life.

The word translated as “the sacrifice” is “la entrega” in Spanish and “il donarsi” in Italian. I may be overly sensitive to the use of the word “la entrega” which means “handing oneself over.”

To translate it as sacrifice might be fine, but sacrifice is something different from handing oneself over – giving of oneself.

People here in Central America may speak highly of someone's entrega, their personal commitment and involvement with the people. In addition, in the Spanish Eucharistic prayers "On the night he was betrayed" or "Given up to death" is translated as "cuando iba a ser entregado [a su Pasión]." Entrega is the word used to translate the Latin "tradere" - to hand over.

6) A creative and good translation

There is one place where the English seems to have gotten it right, providing not a literal translation, but a translation of the concept.

Paragraph 85 begins:

One of the more serious temptations which stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism which turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, “sourpusses.”

Did the pope really write “sourpusses”? I don’t know since I don’t know what language he used for the text that would be translated.

But the Spanish reads: “con cara de vinagre” – with a vinegar face. “Sourpusses" does the trick for me as an accurate translation.

The dangers of translation

Translation is a different task and I know my limitations. But I expect more from professionals in the Vatican.

And so, as you read the document, which I highly recommend, be careful and look at the text in other languages, if you can. It might bring out new insights – or even open up new vistas to living the joy of the Gospel.