Saturday, September 14, 2024

What Does the Angel Say?


"That doesn't sound right," the priest said. We had come to Belgium to record his voice. He was going to be the voice talent for the angel Gabriel in the Flemish-language version of the Magdalena Project.

"No, that isn't right," Ria agreed. Ria is a native Flemish-speaker. She was being the native-language "proof-listener" or checker for the recording. 

The two looked over the lines again. They consulted a modern translation of Luke into Dutch (approved by both the Flemish Bible Society and the Bible Society of the Netherlands). 

"This is it!" they agreed after reading Luke out loud. "That's the way it is in the Christmas liturgy, too." 

And so they rewrote those few lines. After trying this and that intonation and phrasing, everyone was satisfied with the recording. Soon you can hear it for yourself here:
www.jesusfilm.org/watch/magdalena.html


Original:  De Heer is met u, u die de gunst van de Heer geniet!

Changed to:  Wees gegroet, gij beganadigde, de Heer is met u.

Original:  Wees niet bang, Maria. God heeft het goed met u

Changed to:  Wees niet bevreesd, Maria, want gij hebt genade gevonden bij God.