As the Roman Catholic church tentatively prepares to make one of the biggest changes to its liturgy since Vatican II, translation plays at the forefront of the debate.

In a few years, the church plans to introduce a newly translated mass that intends to follow a more literal interpretation of the Latin mas, which was made optional during the liberalizing Vatican II meetings between 1962 and 1965. Supporters of the new translation believe it is a more “faithful rendering.”

Following the Latin text word for word, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you” becomes “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.” “Consubstantial with the Father” will replace “One in being with the Father.”

Premature distribution of the new texts in some South African parishes have fueled a debate over the translation. Many members of the church believe the new translation will alienate churchgoers, not only for those who find the terminology difficult or nonsensical, but for those who have spent their lives repeating the same liturgy and see no reason to change. Others believe it will lead astray an already alienated young generation.

Read the full story by Michelle Faul: “War of words in South Africa over new translation of Catholic mass introduced prematurely.”

Due to an unfortunate interpretation in several foreign languages, the city of Chicago was forced to modify its slogan for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Before, the Windy City proposed “Stir the Soul.” But marketers soon realized that when translated, a few languages read it as “Stir Your Insides.” That’s not what we intended it to be, said Chicago 2016’s Director of Marketing Valerie Barker Waller. The Chicago Tribune reports:

With Olympic slogans, perfecting the look of a translation can matter as much as its content.

The 2008 Beijing Games believed in “Tong Yi Ge She Jie, Tong Yi Ge Meng Miang,” or “One World, One Dream.”

“The two ‘One’s’ are perfectly used in parallel, and the words ‘World’ and ‘Dream’ form a good match,” the Chinese hosts explained in a statement.

The new Chicago tag line? “Let Friendship Shine.” It competes with slogans from three other bid cities: Rio de Janeiro (”Live Your Passion”), Toyko (”Uniting Our Worlds”) and Madrid (”Games with the Human Touch”).

Every now and then, writing is unearthed that brings a long forgotten history back to the forefront. This was the case when a ranger noticed foreign etchings all over the walls of Angel Island Immigration Station.

While Angel Island was maintained as Ellis Island’s west coast cousin (1910-1940) with an entry point in the San Francisco Bay, its detainees sometimes lived a much harsher experience. Detention periods were longer, and its primarily Chinese immigrants came in greater numbers and were deported more often than their European counterparts.

Rescued from demolition in the 1970s, Angel Island has just reopened after a $16 million refurbishment. The walls tell the stories of the detainees who suffered there — in Chinese, Japanese and German, among others:

“Sadness kills the person in the wooden building.”

“Thinking of affairs back home… Unconscious tears wet my lapel.”

“Get me out of here fast!”

“Close the doors. There’s a draft.”

“100 days. Tara Singh.”

Read full story in the Los Angeles Times