I just had a call from a fellow Edinburgh based celebrant, Duncan Robertson that raised an interesting question: what do you do when you’re asked to perform a wedding for a couple where both parties speak different first languages, and neither of them are English?
As Humanist weddings in Scotland become ever more popular, more and more people from all around the world are traveling here to have one and I’ve celebrated weddings where the bride has spoken Basque and Spanish or German and Swiss German, which makes the rehearsals very interesting!
Although I do speak a few languages other than Scots and English, I tend to suggest nowadays that after introducing the ceremony in English + the other tongue, a native speaker from the wedding party is delegated to deliver a translation of the key passages.
We don’t have to do everything twice, just the important bits. It does take a little longer, but it ensures that everyone is included.
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