Pentecost or Babel Tower? Challenges and Perspectives of the Translation of Liturgical Texts in the German-speaking Christian Orthodox Diaspora

Uniform translation of liturgical texts into German has been an important field of work of Orthodox churches in Germany for several years. This task has been accomplished by the translation commission which was convened by the Orthodox Bishops’ Conference in Germany. The essay first introduces the current situation of Orthodoxy in Germany under the conditions of the diaspora situation. Then the development of the unified text of the Divine Liturgy is presented. Subsequently, challenges and perspectives of the translation work are discussed.