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Why does Eastern Orthodoxy use local languages as well as older liturgical languages in worship?

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Jesus Christ: mosaic — Eastern Orthodoxy Jesus Christ, detail of the Deesis mosaic, from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, 12th century.

The Eastern Orthodox Church is fundamentally committed to the use of the vernacular in its worship, a tradition rooted in the historical efforts of Byzantine and modern missionaries to translate the Scriptures and liturgy into the languages of the people they served.1

However, the church is also deeply conservative regarding liturgical matters, as it views the liturgy as the primary vehicle for preserving and experiencing true Christian faith. This conservatism leads de facto to the continued use of antiquated liturgical languages, such as Byzantine Greek and Old Church Slavonic, which are often as distant from modern spoken languages as the King James Version of the Bible is from contemporary English.12

Because there is no central ecclesiastical authority to enforce uniform reforms, these older languages remain in use alongside local vernaculars, serving as a link to the church’s historical and cultural past while maintaining the continuity of its theological expression.1