Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

By minister

Spanish translation:

(Ceremonia oficiada) por ministro religioso/de culto (sacerdote, pastor, etc.)

Added to glossary by Toni Castano
Jun 24, 2013 16:06
10 yrs ago
45 viewers *
English term

BY MINISTER

English to Spanish Law/Patents Certificates, Diplomas, Licenses, CVs Marriage License
Hello everybody,

I am translating a marriage license into Spanish and I am thinking about the proper translation of "BY MINISTER" It's a stand along phrase "BY MINISTER (SO AND SO)" referring to the minister who performed the ceremony. I reviewed dozens of birth certificates and I couldn't find anything. My attempts (which I think are kind of stilted) are the following:

"SERVICIO PRESTADO POR EL MINISTERO(FULANO DE TAL)"

"CEREMONIA PRESTADA POR EL MINISTRO(FULANO DE TAL)"

or just

"POR EL MINISTRO (FULANO DE TAL)"

I really don't like any of them, lol.

Any suggestions?

Rich
Change log

Jun 24, 2013 16:10: Billh changed "Language pair" from "Spanish to English" to "English to Spanish"

Jun 27, 2013 05:56: Toni Castano Created KOG entry

Discussion

JohnMcDove Jun 25, 2013:
You've got a point, Henry. http://www.theamm.org/marriage-laws
This link, under New Jersey, gives all the people who can marry others, and reads in part, [my emphasis]
[...] or chairman of any township committee or village president of this State, and AND EVERY MINISTER OF EVERY RELIGION, are hereby authorized to solemnize marriages or civil unions between such persons as may lawfully enter into the matrimonial relation or civil union; and every religious society, institution or organization in this State may join together in marriage or civil union such persons according to the rules and customs of the society, institution or organization.

In other states, "rabbis" and others are explicitly stated, etc. For the practical purpose of getting the best choice for the asker, Richard, having the full context will allow to take the optimum... :-)
[Note that MollyRose also got a very valid point...]
Henry Hinds Jun 25, 2013:
Only ministers? The strange thing here is that only minister is mentioned. And what about priests, rabbis and other clergy? What about judges and justices of the peace? In some state, notaries public, plus maybe others who can officiate at weddings, either civil or religious? Perhaps it would be good to clarify such context.
Richard Lardi (asker) Jun 24, 2013:
New Jersey
Toni Castano Jun 24, 2013:
What about the US-State where the doc. is from? Perhaps Kentucky?
Richard Lardi (asker) Jun 24, 2013:
Thank you Toni,

Yes it is from the U.S. and it's for Venezuela. Apparently he is moving there.
Toni Castano Jun 24, 2013:
Some questions Hi, Richard. It would be good to know the source country of the document and also the target country. Translations may differ depending on such "details". It is always helpful to provide as much context as possible. I suspect you have a US-American document, but need confirmation from you. Thanks + regards.

Proposed translations

+3
1 hr
Selected

(Ceremonia oficiada) por sacerdote/pastor

In Spanish (at least in Spain, for other Spanish-speaking countries like Venezuela my opinion is less relevant) we would not say “ceremonia o servicio prestado” (“prestar” just sounds wrong), but instead “ceremonia oficiada por” (“servicio” also sounds a bit weird in this context). I assume the wedding ceremony has been a religious, not a civil one. That´s why I suppose that the officiant is a clergyman and he has solemnized it.

If the “minister” is then a “minister of God” (= priest), what I suppose, we need to specify this key aspect in the translation.

If I am right, I would avoid the expression “ministro”, which sounds to me a political, not a religious position. In European Spanish, “ministro de Dios/del Señor” could be possible, but sounds very strange and is extremely old-fashioned.

This link describes in detail the people authorized to solemnize a marriage in New Jersey. In my understanding, a “minister” is here a “minister of God”, i.e. a priest, a clergyman.
http://www.ordainmeplease.com/Wedding_Officiant_Laws.html
Wedding Officiant Laws by State
New Jersey
In a nutshell: Any ordained or licensed clergymen, and justices of the peace.
37:1-13 Authorization to solemnize marriages 37:1-13. Each judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, each judge of a federal district court, United States magistrate, judge of a municipal court, judge of the Superior Court, judge of a tax court, retired judge of the Superior Court or Tax Court, or judge of the Superior Court or Tax Court, the former County Court, the former County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, or the former County District Court who has resigned in good standing, surrogate of any county, county clerk and any mayor or the deputy mayor when authorized by the mayor, or chairman of any township committee or village president of this State, and every minister of every religion, are hereby authorized to solemnize marriage between such persons as may lawfully enter into the matrimonial relation; and every religious society, institution or organization in this State may join together in marriage such persons according to the rules and customs of the society, institution or organization.
Marriage License Requirements Link: New Jersey


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Note added at 1 hr (2013-06-24 17:37:32 GMT)
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This is applicable to Colorado:
http://www.abargainminister.com/justice-vice-minister.htm
The Difference Between a Justice of the Peace and a Minister
Justice of the peace is another name for a county judge. To be married by a county judge, you have to go to the court house where the judge presides, usually in the county seat, make an appointment with a judge, buy a marriage license (currently $30 in Denver and surrounding counties), and show up when you’re told to. The “ceremony” takes place in the judge’s chamber, or office, where he or she recites a short, canned script before pronouncing you married.

Typically ministers are ordained by churches. Different churches have different criteria for ordination. Most require a course of study, usually at a divinity school or seminary. People calling themselves “non-denominational” ministers may have sent money to the entity that calls itself the Universal Life Church. This church then sends them a certificate of ordination, making them mail order ministers. That doesn’t mean they don’t do a decent job of officiating, just that their ministerial credential is shaky.



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Note added at 15 hrs (2013-06-25 07:34:38 GMT)
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Have found this on the Wikipedia:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministro_religioso
Ministro religioso
Ministro es el título dado a individuos en diferentes iglesias cristianas y que varía dependiendo de las mismas.
(...)
En la mayoría de las iglesias protestantes, un ministro es un miembro del clero ordenado que lidera una congregación; tal persona puede también ser llamada pastor, predicador, anciano, etc., dependiendo de factores como las tradiciones, usos y otros. En muchas iglesias, se requiere que los ministros hayan sido educados en seminarios, pero algunas iglesias permiten que los laicos prediquen.

The title of the Spanish article says it all. "Ministro" alone is fully confusing in Spanish, should be avoided as a translation, IMO. "Ministro religioso" would do if you don´t know if the person in question is a ordained Member of the Anglican, Catholic Church, etc., etc.

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Note added at 15 hrs (2013-06-25 07:35:49 GMT)
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Sorry, I meant "aN ordained member (...)".
Note from asker:
Thank you Toni. To be safe, I went with "oficiado por el ministro religioso fulano de tal", since the minister's religion is unknown. Interesting info, thanks everybody!
Peer comment(s):

agree Jennifer Lopez
2 hrs
Gracias, Jennifer.
agree JohnMcDove : La respuesta más completa y útil. Hago notar que “ministro” podría funcionar en su connotación religiosa/ceremonial, sin tener que mencionar a Dios, usando “oficiada por el ministro ORDENADO [o DE LA IGLESIA X]” Reverendo John Jones... :-) Amén.
11 hrs
Gracias, John. Tus comentarios, siempre tan valiosos. El problema es que no sabemos si se trata de un pastor protestante o de un sacerdote católico, etc. "Ministro", así, sin más, no me parece aceptable como traducción del término "minister". Amén.
agree Stephen D. Moore : De acuerdo con John McDove.
20 hrs
Gracias, Stephen.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+1
1 min

POR MINISTRO

No reason why not.
Peer comment(s):

agree maria condo
39 mins
Gracias, María.
disagree Jennifer Lopez : In South American countries de term Ministro tends to be associated with Presidential Cabinet members: Ministro de Educaciñ, Minsitro de Hacienda, etc. For Religious Ministors the terms most commonly used are Pastor or Sacerdote
4 hrs
Sí, pero tu mundo no es todo el mundo, no es motivo de un "disagree" porque no hay incorrección.
agree JohnMcDove : Como le anoto a Toni (que me parece la mejor opción), quizá “ministro” a secas en el contexto sea válido, y no me parece incorrecto; pero mejor añadir “ministro ORDENADO [o Ministro de la iglesia X]” Pastor John Jones... :-) Amén.
13 hrs
Gracias, John. Aunque el inglés podría existir la misma confusión (menos en EE.UU.) pero por el contexto no creo que nadie entienda más que ministro de culto.
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

Pastor o sacerdote

:)
Peer comment(s):

agree JohnMcDove : “Pastor, toca un aire viejo y quejumbroso en tu flauta...” (JRJ) (perdón por la “libre asociación”) Sacerdote o pastor son, por supuesto, opciones válidas... :-)
12 hrs
Muchas gracias. :)
Something went wrong...
+1
5 hrs

(Oficiado por Person's Name), Ministro del Evangelio

Another option, if you aren't sure it is a pastor or priest. An ordained and licensed minister of the Gospel can perform wedding ceremonies, even if he doesn't have the specific title of pastor or priest.



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Note added at 5 hrs (2013-06-24 22:03:22 GMT)
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Oops! Being ceremonia (de matrimonio), I suppose it would be feminine (Oficiada)

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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2013-06-25 20:52:08 GMT)
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If you know what they're a minister of, you could still use this format. Ministro del Evangelio, de Cientología, or whatever. If not, I don´t think you can assume that it´s a pastor or priest, either. The certificate says ¨minister,¨not specifically ¨pastor¨or ¨priest,¨and certainly not ¨justice of the peace,¨etc.
Peer comment(s):

agree JohnMcDove : I am kind of neutral on this, but it is a valid option. It seems somehow limited. As it could be "a minister of the Gospel" or "a minister of Scientology"... or any ordained minister [belonging to any denomination] authorized to perform the/a service. :-)
7 hrs
Thanks. I wasn't thinking of a "minister" of something not the Gospel (such as Scientology, as you said), but I see from your comment that others are called "ministers," too. I will keep that in mind for future reference because we don't want confusion.
Something went wrong...
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