DON BOSCO'S MEMOIRS IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION

 

MEMOIRS OF THE ORATORY OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES FROM 1815 TO 1855: The Autobiography of Saint John Bosco, Translated by Daniel Lyons, SDB, With notes and commentary by Eugenio Ceria, SDB; Lawrence Castelvecchi, SDB; and Michael Mendl, SDB. New Rochelle, New York: Don Bosco Publications, 1989. (lxv+478 pp.; cloth edition, 22.5 x 13.5 cm; 8.75 x 5.5 in.).

MO-En refers to this English transition.

MO-Ce refers to: [Giovanni Bosco], Memorie dell'Oratorio di S. Francesco di Sales dal 1815 al 1955, ed. Eugenio Ceria, SDB. Torino: Societa Editrice Internazionale, 1946 — from which the English translation was made.

The following list contains a selection of incorrectly translated passages.

 

ERRATA CORRIGE

 

I. Omissions—

An omission has taken place when a concept that is clearly expressed in the original does not appear in the translation. The following instances may be noted.

 

MO-En p. 33, line 35; MO-Ce p. 34, line 3f. di piccolo statura, irti—

He noticed a short, capless lad with thick, curly hair

 

MO-En p. 35,1. 38; MO-Ce: schietto—

These frank, and, I might add, bold words of mine

 

MO-En p. 49,1. 34; MO-Ce p. 46,1. 1: di molte cose—

While I tried my hand at a variety of jobs to keep busy

 

Mo-En p. 79,1. 10; Mo-Ce p. 60,1. 17: e percuotere—

That [this great strength of mine] became evident one day when certain boys thought they would make fun of and beat up on Comollo

 

MO-En p. 90,1. 1; MO-Ce p. 65,1. 1: dall'amico—

While I was still a humanities student lodging at our friend John Pianta's cafe

 

MO-En p. 98,1. 4; MO-Ce p. 70,1. 1: tarocchi—

cards, tarots, marbles

 

MO-En p. 98,1. 19; MO-Ce p. 70,1. 14: qualunque argomento—

I could thus improvise on any subject without any trouble

 

MO-En p. 132,1. 33; MO-Ce p. 93,1. 2: con motto gusto—

I used to play it and enjoy it greatly in the beginning

 

MO-En p. 166,1. 40; MO-Ce p. 116,1. 2-3: Durante quella messa eglipianse sempre di commozione—

He was so moved that he cried all through the Mass

 

MO-En p. 175,1. 10; Mo-Ce p. 117,1. 14-15: In paese poi cominciavano pure afarsi compagni ed amid—

I was also beginning to make good friends in town

 

Mo-En p.175,1. 18; MO-Ce p. 117,1.17: e collega—

my friend and associate

 

MO-En p. 177,1. 27; MO-Ce p. 120: Non cifu riguardo che non mi fosse usato—

I was treated with every possible consideration

 

MO-En p. 209,1. 13; MO-Ce p. 135,1. 7: assai ben messa afoggia dipastorella—

when a lady very handsomely attired as a shepherdess

 

Mo-En p. 229,1.4; Mo-Ce p. 149,1. 5: se gli mise attorno—

"went to work on him"

 

Mo-En p.324,1. 25; Mo-Ce p. 206,1. 13: mutande—

underwear, shirts, trousers

 

Mo-En p.417,1. 3; Mo-Ce p. 249,1. 16-17: il giorno appresso—

The next evening, at the very same time

 

Mo-En p.420,1. 12; Mo-Ce p. 251,1.13: soletto—

quite alone and

 

II. Inaccuracies—

Numerous instances of inaccurate translation can be cited.

 

MO-En p. 8,1.17: a crust of bread; Mo-Ce p. 19,1. 21un po' di crusca—

to ask for even a little chaff (husks)

 

Mo-En p. 9,1.2: the crisis of that year; Mo-Ce p. 21,1. 1: crisi annonaria—

crisis in food supplies

 

Mo-En p. 9: but this was not easy; Mo-Ce p. 22,1.9: ma era assai impacciata—

[my mother] felt very uneasy

 

Mo-En p. 18,1. 3: a fairly large yard; Mo-Ce p. 22,1. 22: un cortile assai spazioso—

a very large yard

 

Mo-En p. 18,1. 17-18: stopped their laughing; Mo-Ce p. 23,1. 16: cessando dalle risse—

stopped their fighting

 

Mo-En p. 29,1. 2: got myself out of a tight sack; Mo-Ce p. 30,1. \l\cingermi la bisaccia—

tied the [equipment?] pouch around my waist

 

Mo-En p. 36, 1. 1: I'll keep you and your schooling in mind; Mo-Ce p. 35,1. 25: penserd a te e al tuo studio—

I'll provide for you and your schooling

 

Mo-En p. 36,1. 9:1 put myself completely; Mo-Ce p. 36,1. 7: lo mi sono tosto messo—

I promptly put myself

 

Mo-En p. 41,1. 8-9: that I should go to school in the morning and work in the fields in the afternoon; Mo-Ce p. 37,1. 19-20: io sard andato al mattino per tempo a scuola e il rimanente del giorno avrei impiegato in lavori materiali—

I should go to school early in the morning and spend the rest of the day working in the fields

 

Mo-En p. 47,1. 33: the more successful they are; Mo-Ce p. 42,1.22: tanto piu grati ci riescono—

the more entertaining do they turn out for us

 

Mo-En p. 47,1. 33: our pastimes; Mo-Ce p. 42,1. 22-23: le nostre novita—

for us the new attractions

 

Mo-En p. 48,1. 36-37: as I used to talk with Fr. Calosso. Why shouldn't it be so?; Mo-Ce p. 44,1. 14-15: Questo conforto I'ebbi con D. Calosso; che nol possapiu avere?—

I had this comforting experience with Fr. Calosso. Shall I never have it again?

 

Mo-En p. 49,1. 15-16:1 faced some drawbacks; Mo-Ce p. 45,1. 8: furono per me uno sconcerto—

—this was for me a disconcerting experience

 

Mo-En p. 49, 1. 24-25: I could take the stage to accompany him; Mo-Ce p. 45,1. 17-18: potei montare sull'orchestra efare parti obbligate—

I could go up to the choir loft and sing the solo parts

 

Mo-En p. 49,1. 29-30:1 like to think I became a master tailor; Mo-Ce p. 45,1. 22-23: mi pareva di essere divenuto un valente capo sarto—

I fancied myself already a master tailor

 

Mo-En p. 50,1. 18: many of the boys' relatives; Mo-Ce p. 47,1. 1: molti parenti di giovanetti signori—

 many relatives of well-to-do youngsters

 

Mo-En p. 60,1. 3-5: One raised in the backwoods finds plenty of novelties to wonder at in even a small country village; Mo-Ce p. 47,1. 19-21: Per chi θ allevato tra boschi, e appena ha veduto qualche paesello di provincia, prova grande impressione di ogni piccolo novitΰ—

One who is raised in the backwoods and has never seen anything beyond a few small country villages is easily impressed by any little novelty [to be found in a larger city]

 

Mo-En p. 60,1. She used to stay in the city; Mo-Ce 47,1.23: che si recava in quella citta—

She was moving to the city

 

Mo-En p. 60, 1. 15-16: would correspond to the first year of ginnasio ;Mo-Ce p. 48, 1. 9-10: corrisponderebbe alia classe preparatoria alia 1a ginnasiale—

would correspond to the class preparatory to the first year of ginnasio

 

Mo-En p. 68, 1. 13: to come to me for help because I did them the kindness; Mo-Ce p. 52,1. 2-3: a far recorso a me, perche facessi la caritΰ—

to come to me with the request that I do them the kindness

 

Mo-En p. 72,1. 29: to go to confession and communion more often; Mo-Ce p. 55, 1. 18: a confessarmi e comunicarmi colla maggior frequenza—

to go to confession and communion as often as possible

 

Mo-En 72,1. 40: On autumn weekdays; Mo-Ce p. 56,1. 3-4: nelleferie autunnali—

in the autumn [=summer] holidays

 

Mo-En p. 78, 1. 12-13: it was common practice to initiate new students through a dangerous game called cavallina; Mo-Ce p. 59,1. 8-9: era gid in uso il pericoloso gioco delta cavallina, in tempo d'ingresso nella scuola—

it was already the practice [among the students] to play the dangerous game of cavallina while waiting to go in for classes

 

Mo-En p. 79,1. 35:1 am amazed how strong you are; Mo-Ce p. 61,1. 15: la tuaforza mi spaventa—

 your strenth frightens me

 

Mo-En p. 99,1. 4-5: my audiences got frightened and even lost their heads; Mo-Ce p. 71,1. 3-4: o sifaceva comparire I'udienza intera di orribile aspetto ed anche senza teste—

or I caused [the people in] the audience to take on a monstrous appearance or even to appear headless [illusionist trick]

 

Mo-En p. 99,1. 11: to embarrass him thoroughly; Mo-Ce p. 71,1. 9: perfargliene di tutti i colori—

to play all sorts of tricks on him

 

Mo-En p. 111,1. 40: not even a word that could be considered impolite; Mo-Ce p. 82,1. 8-9: [non] una sola parola che fosse contro ai buoni costumi—

not a single word that could be considered immoral

 

Mo-En p. 122,1. 7: Could such people, such society ever identify with one who...?; Mo-Ce p. 86,1. 22-23: quella gente, quale societd poteva maiformare con uno, che...?

what association could those people have with one who...?

 

Mo-En p. 140, 1. 3-5: I spent a lot of time reading and writing; but not knowing how to organize myself properly, I got little out of it. I tried different kinds of handicrafts as well; Mo-Ce p. 95,1. 3-5: lo impiegava il tempo a leggere, a scrivere; ma non sapendo ancora trar partita dalle me giornate, ne perdeva molte senzafrutto. Cercva di ammazzarle con qualche lavoro meccanico—

[During the holidays] I spent my time reading and writing; but not having as yet learnt     how to use my days to good advantage, / wasted many of them in fruitless activity. I     tried to kill time by sheer manual labor.

 

Mo-En p. 144,1. 14: but I could not get the words out; Mo-Ce p. 99,1. 5-6: ma la mia vocefu soffocata—

but my voice was drowned out [by the din]

 

Mo-En p. 145,1. 11:1 felt awful! I did not know how to get out of it; Mo-Ce p. 99,1. 26: Miserabile! Non seppi rifiutarmi—

The wretch [the coward] that I was! I did not have it in me to say no

 

Mo-En p. 145,1. 34: they were admiring the dead hare; Mo-Ce p. 15-16: rallegravansi per quella preda—

were overjoyed at the kill

 

Mo-En p. 165,1.4: attempting something almost impossible; Mo-Ce p. 112,1. 3 -113,1. 1: tentare cosa che in quel tempo rarissimamente si otteneva—

attempting something for which one was rarely given permission in those days

 

Mo-En p. 166,1. 9-10: in the summer; Mo-Ce alls tempora estive—

on the Ember Days of summer

 

Mo-En p. 166,1. 39: he assisted me; Mo-Ce p. 116,1. 2: mi attendeva—

 he was waiting for me

 

Mo-En p. 167,1. 2-3: took part in the procession; Mo-Ce 116,1. 6: fed quivi laprocessione—

There I officiated at the procession

 

Mo-En p. 167,1. 5: people of standing in the vicinity; Mo-Ce p. 116,1. 8: /' principali del paese—

people of standing in the town

 

Mo-En p. 167,1. 7-8: because [...] they were all glad that everything had turned out well for me; Mo-Ce p. 116,1. 10: perciocche [...] ognuno godeva di tutto quello, che avesse potato tornare a mio bene—

because—everyone was happy for anything that was to my advantage

 

MO-En p. 175,1. 22: determined to win glory from il;persuaso di acquistarne gloria—

certain to win glory from it

 

Mo-En p. 176,1. 24-25: Many a spill I've had going to fairs; Mo-Ce p. 118,1. 23; Oh quante me ne sono accadute andando alleflere—

Many an adventure I've had going to fairs

 

Mo-En p. 182,1. 2: Fr. Caffasso [...] was especially my spiritual director; Mo-Ce p. 123,1.7-8: D. Caffasso [...] fu eziandio mio direttore spirituale—

Fr. Caffasso [...] was also my spiritual director [besides being lecturer]

 

Mo-En p. 182,1. 5: It was he who first took me into the prisons; Mo-Ce p. 123,1. 12: Per prima cosa egli prese a condurmi nelle carceri—

The first thing he did was to take me regularly into the prisons

 

Mo-En p. 187,1.19: You little brat; Mo-Ce p. 124,1.20: Bestione che sei—

You big blockhead

 

Mo-En p. 197,1. 11-12: then only lads; Mo-Ce p. 129,1. 14: allora semplid garzoni—

then mere laborers [hod carriers]

 

Mo-En p. 197,1. 38: The noisy excitement of the feast can be imagined; Mo-Ce p. 130,1. 12-13: Ognuno pud immaginarsi quanta rwnore eccitasse quellafesta—

Anyone can imagine the stir that feast caused [the interest it aroused among the youngsters in the area]

 

Mo-En p. 198,1.9-10: My object always was to meet the youngsters who had the misfortune [...]; Mo-Ce p. 130,1. 23-24: nell'oggetto di coltivare i giovanetti che avessero la disgrazia [...]—

My object always was to give special attention to the youngsters who had the misfortune [...]

 

Mo-En p. 202,1. 8-9: or at work; Mo-Ce p. 131,1. 11: ed ovunque ne fosse mestieri—

 and wherever there was need of it

 

Mo-En p. 204,1. 4-5: whose moral condition and neglect made increasing demands on priests; Mo-Ce p. 134,1. 5-6: la cui moralitd edabbandono richiamava sempre di piu I'attenzione dei sacerdoti—

whose moral condition and neglect drew the priests' attention everyday more [of whose moral condition and neglect the priest were becoming increasingly more aware]

 

Mo-En p. 220,1. 1-2: Our chapel [...] was coming along nicely; Mo-Ce p. 142,1. 8-9: Nella cappella [...] {'Oratorio prendeva ottimo avviamento—

At [with] the chapel [...] the Oratory was making a very good start

 

Mo-En p. 220,1. 23-25: It is true that the area we had been using had no internal communication with what was to be the chapel, the school or the recreation center; Mo-Ce p. 142,1. 22-24: VE vero che il locale destinato a cappella, a scuola o a ricreazione dei giovani non aveva alcuna comunicazione coll'interno dello stabilimento—

It is true that the area we had been using as chapel and class rooms, and for the youngsters' recreation had no communication of any sort with the interior of the establishment [hospital]

 

Mo-En p. 220,1. 30-31: to the church of St Martin of the Mills, or rather, to the public mills; Mo-Ce p. 143, 1. 2-3: alia chiesa di S. Martino dei Molazzi, owero dei Molini di citta—

to the church of St. Martin at the Great-Mills, that is to say, [the church of St. Martin] at the public mills

 

Mo-En p. 221,1. 3-4: with laughter and din and misgivings; Mo-Ce p. 143,1. 7-8:/ra gli schiamazzi, il riso ed il rincrescimento—

amid din, laughter—and regret

 

Mo-En p. 221, 1. 8-9: who enjoyed a popularity more unique than rare; Mo-Ce p. 143,1. 12-13: con una popolaritd che si pud chiamare piuttosto unica che rara—

in that common-folk style of his that was more unique than rare

 

Mo-En p. 222,1. 32-33: He added, finally, that [...]; Mo-Ce p. 146,1. 14: Si giunse fino a dire che ...]—

People were going so far as to say that [...]

 

Mo-En p. 223,1. 10: which was open at that time in Valdocco; Mo-Ce p. 147,1. 7: che si apri di poi in Valdocco—

which was later opened in Valdocco

Mo-En p. 229,1. 6: An undisciplined rabble; Mo-Ce p. 149,1. 7: tuttafior di canaglia—

all of them rascals of the worst kind

 

Mo-En p. 233,1.4: anxious about the location; Mo-Ce p. 151,1. 3: angustiati pel locale—

confined in that [restricted] space

 

Mo-En p. 233, 1. 23-24: are not regular members of parishes; Mo-Ce p. 152, 1. 11-12: non turbano la frequenza alle parrocchie—

do not have an adverse effect on parish church attendance

 

MO-En p. 234,1. 37: threatening to withhold their rent; Mo-Ce p. 154,1. 10-11: dichiarando di smettersi tutti dalla pigione—

telling [him] that they would all quit their rented quarters [and leave]

 

Mo-En p. 244,1. 16: bordered on foolishness; Mo-Ce p. 158,1. 10: andava allafollia—

bordered on folly [exceeded all bounds]

 

Mo-En p. 266,1. 16: the geographical names and their locations; Mo-Ce p. 175,1.4: del nomi geografici coi loro confronti—

the [ancient] geographical names with their [modern] counterpart

 

Mo-En p. 276,1. 3: maintained that our assemblies had dagerous aims; Mo-Ce p, 179,1. 2-4: pretendeva che avesserofine i nostri assembramenti che egli chiamava pericolosi—

demanded that our assemblies, which he claimed were dangerous, come to an end

 

Mo-En p. 278,1. 20-21: you'll give me an accout of what's coming up in the future; Mo-Ce p. 181,1. l-2:voi mi darete conto di quanta sard per avvenire—

you shall give me an account [be held responsible] for anything [any disorder] that might happen

 

Mo-En p. 291,1. 12-13: everything was provided for them; Mo-Ce p. 189,1. 26-27: ogni cosafu acconciata e loro somministrata—

everything was prepared [cooked] and served up to them

 

Mo-En p. 291, 1. 20: I was exhausted and took to my bed; Mo-Ce p. 190, 1. 1: fui preso da sfinimento, portato a letto—

I collapsed [had a fainting spell] and was carried to my bed

 

MO-En p. 297,1.12: millet, beans, grain; MO-Ce p. 193,1. 25: meligajagiuoii, grano—

corn [maize], beans, wheat

 

MO-En p. 297,1. 13:1 sold part of a field; Mo-Ce p. 195,1. 26: aveva venduto qualche pezzo di campo—

I had sold some pieces of land

 

Mo-En p. 297,1. 30: towels; Mo-Ce p. 195,1. 30: tovaglie—

altar cloths

 

Mo-En p. 313,1. 14: a stable was prepared; Mo-Ce p. 199: avevasi preparato unfienile—

a hay loft had been prepared

 

MO-En p. 314,1.24: a big sack; Mo-Ce p. 200,1. 21: un saccone—

a straw mattress [paillasse]

 

Mo-En p. 314,1. 36: So passed 1847; Mo-Ce p. 201,1. 2-3: Correva I'anno 1847—

It was the year 1847

 

Mo-En p. 315,1. 5-8: The renowned musicians [...] came [...] to help at my lessons; Mo-Ce p. 201,1. 11-13: Ifamosi Maestri [...] venivano [...] ad assistere [...] le mie lezioni—

The renouned musicians [...] attended my lessons [as observers]

 

Mo-En p. 339,1. 19-26: we began to give recitals at the Oratory; [...] public performances in various towns. [...] Since choirs of boy sopranos with orchestral accompaniment had not often been heard up till then [...]; Mo-Ce p. 209,1. 6-12: si cominciarono a fare funzioni all'Oratorio, [...] pubbliche funzioni in vari paesi; [...] perciocche non essendosifino allora uditi cori di voci argentine sulle orchestre [...]—

 

we began to sing at church services at the Oratory; [...]; public church services in various towns [...] Since choirs of boy sopranos had not been heard on choir lofts [of churches] up till then [...]

 

Mo-En p. 340,1. 11: Such novelty gave rise to rumors; Mo-Ce p. 210,1. l-2:facevano gran rumore—

were causing a big stir [were much talked about]

 

Mo-En p. 361,1. 16-17: It's time we finish with this rubbish; Mo-Ce p. 1. 10-11: '£ tempo difinirla cot questi rugiadosi—

It's time we do away with these dewy-eyed [sentimental] bigots

 

Mo-En p. 366,1. 7: Convinced that [...]; Mo-Ce p. 221,1. 28-29: essendomi accorto che [...]—

realizing that [...]; on seeing that [...]

 

Mo-En p. 373,1. 11-12:1 was able to become manager of the premises; Mo-Ce p. 225,1. 21: potei divenin arbitro del locale—

I was able to have control [I gained control] of the premises

 

Mo-En p. 386, 1. 9-10: Many buildings [...] were shaken, and serious damage was reported from [the explosion]; Mo-Ce p. 232,1. Molti edifizi [...] vennero scossi e ne riportarono grave danno—

Many buildings [...] were shaken and suffered heavy damage from [the explosion]

 

Mo-En p. 392,1. 33 - p. 393,1. 1: putting distance between himself and the danger, as one can imagine; Mo-Ce p. 236,1. 18: allontanarsi dal pericolo, che s'immaginava—

putting distance between himself and the danger [the cause of] which could [easily] be guessed

 

Mo-En p. 393,1. 5-6: we feared that everything lay flattened under the pile of rubble; Mo-Ce p. 237,1. 1-2: si temeva che tutti rimanessero schiacciati sotto alle cadenti ravine—

we feared that everyone would be crushed under the falling rubble

 

Mo-En p. 412,1. 27: It [the wine] won't hurt you; Mo-Ce p. 247,1. 13: Non le spiacerd—

You won't find it unpleasant [you'll like it]

 

Mo-En p. 413,1. 19-20: Let's go right away to see the sick man; Mo-Ce p. 248, 1. 2: Andremo tosto c prevenire I'ammalato—

we'll go [up] shortly to forewarn the sick man

 

Mo-En p. 416,1. 8-9:1 was standing at the fence that we had put up in the Oratory courtyard; Mo-Ce p. 248 1. 23-24: io stava sulla cancellata che metteva nel cortile dell'Oratorio—

I was standing at the gate that gave access to the Oratory courtyard

 

Mo-En p. 417,1. 39-40:1 had figured out their game right away, namely to jump me. In a moment [...]; Mo Ce p. 250,1. 17: Indovinai tosto il gioco, che consisteva nel farm lafesta; e in quel momenta [...]—

I figured out their game right away, which was to do me in [to kill me]. At that moment [In tha predicament] [...]

 

Mo-En p. 420,1. 29-30: they suddenly jumped me from behind, [...] and threw a cloak over my head; Mo Ce p. 252,1. l-9:facendo improwisamente due salti indietro, [...] mi gettarono un matello nellafaccia—

with two quick leaps back [in my direction] [...] they threw a cloak against my face

 

Mo-En p. 421,1. 40: Either eat or drink or otherwise entertain me; Mo-Ce p. 253,1. 9-10: O mangiare, , here, o altrimenti stammi allegro—

Either eat or drink; otherwise be on your way

 

NB:     The list contains only the most noticeable inaccuracies.

Other less noticeable flaws, such as transposition of words and small additions to the text could be pointed out.

A penchant for paraphrasing, even when it does not appear to have been required by good English prose style, is also in evidence throughout.