—Douglas, what were the main difficulties you found in the work of translation?
At the beginning it was a great responsibility and a burden to undertake a work of such great importance. Later, there were other problems which were more technical. Translating is not easy; it is hard work. It means a lot of time sitting down for hours in front of a computer, surrounded by dictionaries and using the Internet for other important subsidiary information. You have to take on the challenge of two languages and try to combine them as an integral whole. Also, every language is a world in itself. I am a British speaker of English, but in order to translate for Filipinos and people from the United States I had to make use of Standard English: which is understood by all English speakers and more neutral. You never feel entirely satisfied with your efforts, and at the end of the translation I read the text back to myself out loud. In this way further problems were avoided and adjustments were made.
— Are you happy with the result? Do you believe that you have achieved a faithful rendering of the text? Did you make a literal translation?
There are Spanish expressions that literally translated mean very little. This was, therefore, not my way of working. But neither could I avoid altogether that some expressions would lose some of their strength. For some people this is appalling, but there are things that cannot be expressed in English or could be misunderstood or even offensive. I had to take the liberty, at times, to “soften” certain phrases or turns of speech, whilst trying to maintain the essential content. This required a lot of effort in order to translate without distorting the essential meaning, and I took this very seriously.
—Did you know that the greater part of the fraternities which speak English were from the Philippines? Will they understand your more British English?
When it was mentioned to me that the main audience would be Filipinos I was slightly concerned. It was a big challenge. I have known Filipinos and know that their point of view and understanding is not the same as my own. There are also Fraternities in the United States, but this worried me less because many might know Spanish and their way of thinking would not be so vastly different from my own. When I was translating I could not avoid the probability of misunderstandings, and for this reason I chose a more neutral type of English. In the end I believe that it should be understood by all, although some differences about spelling and certain expressions will inevitably remain an issue.
—Did you think about the people who are going to benefit from the publication?
Of course, and this was always one of my great motivations. It couldn´t be any other way. In part, I took on the task for the importance that these documents have for the English speaking Fraternities. First of all I thought about those from the United States and the Philippines, and then later those in England. Whilst I was doing the translation I was keenly aware that for many people it would be of great benefit, both humanly and spiritually. In all modesty, I have merely tried to offer my services to the Fraternities of the Order.
—¿Do you know people in the Fraternities which are awaiting this publication?
When I started the translation I was finishing my own process of formation and my theological studies, and did not yet know what the future held. But I was aware of the need to commit myself to this cause, and I have companions from the United States who had talked about people who would benefit from these documents. I also had the opportunity to talk to the Prior Provincial of the Philippines who told me that he needed good translations in English, but that he didn´t have enough people. I obviously knew the Fraternity in England, and become aware of the many people who desired better formation but which lacked the means because of the difficulty of not possessing the documents in English. I didn´t know personally all these people, but through contact with others I heard their voices and their needs.
—Do you believe that this could be important for them? Or indeed for other types of people?
I am convinced that Pilgrims will strengthen a lot the links between the various Fraternities in the Order. What I know from Spain, Mexico and England shows this to be true. I also believe that many Friars could also benefit from what is contained in these materials, although they weren´t written expressly for them. Furthermore, I think that other people who are lacking faith, agnostics, or simply curious about such things, could also benefit greatly from these documents.
Many of the answers that people today are earnestly searching for can be found in these very documents. They are a very useful way of having a real living experience of what it means to be an Augustinian Recollect. I am sure that in the Fraternities much fruit will be given by these texts. They have made a great impact upon me, and I don´t believe that I will be alone in feeling this way.