Lost in Translation

One of my nerdiest hobbies includes studying Hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the study of the theory of (and the practice of) interpretation. I spend a lot of time (some would say too much) comparing different translations of texts and different interpretations of literature in order to form my own opinion. Some call it obsessive... I just consider it being thorough.

The other evening I was speaking with a friend of mine who is Christian. We were discussing the Lord's Prayer-- I was sharing anecdotes and details that I found amusing. For example: Did you know that in most Asian-language translations of the Lord's Prayer, they ask for God to "Give us today our daily rice"? Regardless, we were not discussing Asian languages.

We were discussing Aramaic, Jesus' first language and the one he spoke most fluently. Aramaic is a Semitic language, meaning it is related to ancient Hebrew and helped give birth to modern-day Arabic. Semitic languages have a great habit of being butchered by Western civilizations for numerous reasons; sometimes to spin the information the way the Church wanted and sometimes simply due to terrible scholarship. Either way, a lot of meaning has been lost. My friend just so happens to be a linguistics student who specializes in Semitic languages. Needless to say, I lucked out.

He wrote and recited the Lord's Prayer for me in Aramaic. It is as follows.

D'bwaschmâja Nethkâdasch schmach
Têtê malkuthach.
Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d'bwaschmâja af b'arha.
Hawvlân lachma d'sûnkanân jaomâna.
Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna
daf chnân schwoken l'chaijabên.
Wela tachlân l'nesjuna
ela patzân min bischa.
Metol dilachie malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta l'ahlâm almîn.
Amên.

When I first looked at the phonology of the words and the way the consonants and vowels played off of each other, it honestly looked like a bit of a mess. I said right out loud, "Who would ever design a language this way?" To which my friend wisely responded "We don't design language. Language designs us."

We discussed this for some time, as I recited the German version for him, then translated it literally. He was shocked.

"That's far too close to the Westernized version. It's not close to the original at all."

I asked him to elaborate, which is when he recited the most beautiful English prayer I have ever heard.

Oh You, from whom the breath of life comes,
who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration.
May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.
Your Heavenly Domain approaches.
Let Your will come true - in all the universe
just as on earth.
Give us wisdom for our daily need,
detach the fetters of faults that bind us, like we let go the guilt of others
Let us not be lost in superficial things,
but let us be freed from that what keeps us off from our true purpose.
From You comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act,
 And the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age.
May this be sealed in trust, faith and truth.

I smiled to myself as I muttered, "That almost sounds like a Buddhist mantra or meditation wheel prayer." The first thing that I noticed (and immediately loved) about it was the second line. "[God] fills all realms of sound, light, and vibration". I interpret this to mean that God can be experienced first-hand, audibly, visibly and palpably. This paints a very different portrait that if any word close to the English "Heaven" were used. Heaven implies somewhere completely separate from the realm of Earth, but in the original Aramaic, God is well within our realm of perception.

Another thing I loved was that it references the holiness of the self. Many denominations of many faiths paint the Human as faulty, less-than, fallen from grace. This prayer, however, speaks of the holiness of the individual. That's right: when Jesus first spoke the Lord's Prayer, he referenced that there is holiness inside every human, a little bit of God in each of us-- a Divine Spark.

When Jesus spoke the words "Let us not be lost in superficial things", I doubt he really meant what is now "let us not be led into temptation". Really, to be lost in superficial things means what? It means to realize what truly matters. It means to avoid desire for things you don't need. It means to remember that you could always have less.

My favorite phrase in the Aramaic is the closing. In English, it's well-known: "For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory." In Aramaic, it is incredibly different. Instead of the kingdom that God owns, he gives something to us: will that is all-purposeful. Instead of omnipotence, he gives vigor and life. Instead of his own glory, he shares something more glorious with us: A song. A song that makes everything beautiful. Indeed, Jesus saw beauty in music-- within and without.

Jesus in a very Buddha-like pose.

 When he finished writing it out for me, he circled a few phrases and explained a few Hermeneutical issues (words that are near-impossible to translate or have other quirks worth notice) to me.

• • The phrase "Breath of Life" is very common in almost all Semitic languages as describing the way God breathes life into clay or dust.
    
  •  In line 5, the word "Universe" can be literally translated as "All that vibrates".
  • In the line after that, the word for "Earth" is more accurate as "That which is material and dense".
  •  The word "wisdom" in line 7 could also mean "understanding", or "assistance" (as in, the way a teacher 'assists' a student).
  • The phrase "fetters of fault" gives birth to the modern Arabic term for 'karma', an oddly Eastern word to see in a Western prayer.
  • to "let go" in line 8 also means to unlock, relieve weight from, or release from grip.

All-in-all, the Aramaic words used strike certain stark differences tot he modernized version. A lot of people could wonder how so much could be lost in translation, and I urge those people to visit this site  which displays and illustrates Hermeneutical fallacies perfectly. 

Language is constantly changing. There is nothing intrinsically good or bad about that, but it is always important to see where the words we're using come from in order to gain a deeper understanding about the history of what we say and why we say it.

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Thanks for reading. Go forth and do good things, my friends.