My first experience of column writing

In January last year I was invited to write a column for the weekly newspaper " Observatório de Macau". The writing is based on an English book entitled "The Story of the Mass", for which I would do abridged translation into Chinese. I leapt at the offer. The idea of having a personal column was indeed a dream come true! Besides, I was then having an online course on English-to-Chinese Translation. The column would be a great opportunity for practice, which I needed badly.

Even before I actually started, I had foreseen great difficulty. An idea very easily comprehensible in English may often become awkward and unnatural when translated into Chinese even if the meaning is correctly conveyed. I am quite aware of the cross- language interference in my Chinese translation. This, I am afraid, will lessen its attraction, if any, to the readers.

Another problem is to find the correct Chinese equivalents for some names, mainly names of saints and popes. As I later came to realize, the same name may have been translated differently in different columns. In addition, to translate their texts poses particular difficulty, as a high degree of accuracy is demanded. I have had the fortune, though, to come across the translated versions of some texts and all that was needed was to quote the corresponding paragraphs directly. But such bits of luck are few and far between. I have had to struggle with the grinding translation most of the time.

However, as a result of what I call the 16-month project, I have come to learn a lot about “the Church’s Eucharistic life over 20 centuries”. There are important details including “the sacrifice-meal of Jesus and his apostles, the grand ceremonies in the Rome of Gregory the Great, the bold innovations of Emperor Charlemagne, the reforms of the Councils of Trent and Vatican II, Greek and Latin, heresies and controversies as well as Gregorian Chant and Eucharistic Prayers”. In fact, I have learned such a lot about the “evolution of the Mass and the traditional roots of present-day changes” that I now attend Mass with better devotion and a better understanding of Jesus’ call “Do this in memory of me.” 

I understand that there is still a lot of room for improvement in my work and its readership is scanty. Nevertheless, I see this as a good start that will lead to more encouraging and challenging missions. I thank the publisher for his kind invitation. And of course, I thank the kind Lord for the opportunity to embark on a form of evangelical work so spiritually rewarding.