We have recently had several invitations to attend weddings as court interpreters. Some on the bride’s side, some on the groom’s. It could be said, nothing unusual.
However, at one of the last weddings, which was attended by a colleague, a court interpreter for the Romanian language and Rebeka Božović for English, we dared and asked the registrar what it was about. Why are there more and more weddings in the time of Covid 19 in Serbia in which foreigners participate?
The answer surprised us! Namely, since many surrounding countries closed and a large number of citizenships, so to speak, were not allowed to enter on any grounds due to epidemiological measures to protect nation states, it became impossible for, for example, a Romanian woman to marry in her country to an American. He is simply not allowed to enter Romania at this moment (and that moment lasts too long for the taste of the new bride). Therefore, the future young married couple went where? – to the largest search engine in the world! There he learned that one of the neighboring countries was willing to receive (with a negative PCR test) both her and him. And, voila! Here they are. In front of the registrar of a Belgrade municipality. Confused he himself, confused we as court interpreters. The spouses were not at all confused, believe it or not. They are doing what they set out to do and, it even seems to me that they are glad they have outwitted the pandemic, the measures, the world, ask God who and what else. They smile and perform the vows before all of us with satisfaction.
In a short conversation, after the obligatory congratulations, we hear from them that they like it here, they have been here for two months until they have obtained all the necessary documentation (and such documentation is pretty much work for the current circumstances), and that after having got the Marriage Certificate in the week after the wedding, it will be possible for a Los Angeles resident and American citizen to travel with his newlywed wife to her homeland, Romania, where they will get married, as they initially wanted and intended, and where they consider a real wedding – in a church. The orthodox one.
In the conversation with the registrar, we understood that the newlyweds who come to them are usually very glad to be here, as well as that those who come grow fond of us. They say that they are satisfied with the fact that people here are cheerful, smiling, the cafes are full, the prices are bearable, the anti-pandemic measures are moderate, and that they do not care about Covid 19 at all, because they know how to take care of themselves. And, above all, they managed to perform one of the “most important and most humane jobs in life” – as we translate our Duško Radović during the wedding ceremony.
“We want you to have a good time, to last a long time, to rejoice one to another, to live with the conviction that today you have completed one of the most beautiful and humane jobs in your life…”.
