‘The Aul Testament in Doric’ nominated for Scots language award
Published on 2 September 2023 2 minutes read
A translation of the Old Testament into Doric, which is the culmination of 17 years' of work putting the entire Bible into the Scots dialect, has been nominated for a Scots Language Award.
Gordon M Hay finished the New Testament in 2012 "when I had a moment spare" in between working, but the Old Testament, which he has recently completed, is approximately three times the length.
His latest piece of scholarship is competing in the ‘Scots Book o the Year' category, which will be decided by a public vote.
Mr Hay, who is a retired solicitor and serves as both a Church of Scotland Elder and organist, said:
"I am delighted that my ‘Aul Testament in Doric' has been shortlisted for the Scots Language Awards' ‘Scots Book of the year'.
"Following its publication in June, there has been world-wide interest in this, the first translation of the whole Old Testament in any variant of the Scots Language.
The final Old Testament translation is 758 pages long and has over 570,000 words, representing an impressive piece of scholarship.
Mr Hay's wonderful achievement was also recognised in the Scottish Parliament in June, which he described as a "great honour".
MSP Jackie Dunbar put down a motion stating:
"That the Parliament congratulates Gordon Hay for translating the entire Bible into Doric; understands that Mr Hay completed the New Testament in 2012 when he had spare time whilst working as a solicitor; further understands that once Mr Hay retired, he had time to complete the translation of the Old Testament, which is approximately three times longer, with 758 pages and over 570,000 words; applauds what it sees as the impressive dedication required to achieve this scholarly achievement, and welcomes his contribution to promoting the Doric language and making religion more accessible."
A church member since childhood, Mr Hay grew up worshipping at Inverkeithny Parish Church and has recently been awarded a long service award marking 30 years as an Elder.
The Scots Language Awards will be presented on Saturday 16 September.
Vote for ‘The Aul Testament in Doric' in the Scots Language awards. Please note the book is listed in section 10 of the form, in the ‘Scots Book o the Year' category. Voting will close on Sunday 10 September.
