The blog Valle Adurnihas posted what it claims to be the new English translationof the order of the mass. Some key points:

1) "And with your spirit" has replaced "and also with you."

2) "communion of the Holy Spirit" has replaced "fellowship of the Holy Spirit."

3) In the Confiteor, "mea cupla, mea culpa, mea maximum culpa" has been translated literally.

4) A much more literal translation of the Gloria. A lot of current musical arrangements are going to have to be rewritten.

5) Creed begins with "I believe" rather than "We believe." "Seen and Unseen" changes to "Visible and Invisible. "Only Son" becomes "Only-begotten Son." "One in Being" becomes "Consubstantial."Advocates for inclusive language take note that "For us men" has now been rendered "For us."

6) The sursum corda dialogue is now translated more literally:"The Lord be with you" "And with your spirit" "Lift up your hearts." "We lift them up to the Lord." "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God." "It is right and just."

7) Concluding doxology is translated much more literally.Not the most felicitious sentence structure in English, I'm afraid.

I'll leave the sorting out of the Eucharistic Prayers to the rest of you!

I have mixed feelings about this translation. There are certain things I like, such as the rendering of "et cum spiritu tuo" as "and with your spirit" and the more literal translation of the sursum corda dialogue. On the whole, I probably would have been a bit more conservative when it came to changing the people's parts. The translation of the concluding doxology ("Through Him, With Him, In Him...") seems very awkward. I don't think chanting it is going to work as well as it does with the current translation, but we'll see.

On the whole though,it's hard to see the result--assuming this is close to the finalversion--as justifying either the claims of its supporters or the charges of its critics. Thelanguage is moderately more "elevated" in a few places, but on the whole the changes are not dramatic and are unlikely to lead to significant changes in how the congregationunderstandswhat is going on in the liturgy.At the same time, I think that Bishop Trautman'sstatement that the new translation does not "adequately meet the liturgical needs of the average Catholic"is somewhatoverstated. There will be a period of transition, certainly, but I suspect most "average Catholics" have successfully weathered more significant changes than this in our family and working lives.