{{Short description|Scottish author and translator}}
{{Use Scottish English|date=September 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} '''Gordon McKenzie Hay''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE}} (born 1952 or 1953) is a Scottish author, translator and former solicitor who has translated a range of works into the Doric dialect of the Scots language. He is best known for writing the first complete translation of the Bible into Scots.
== Early life == Gordon McKenzie Hay<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/all-the-scots-honoured-in-the-kings-new-year-honours-list-4925468 |title=All the Scots honoured in the King's New Year Honours list |author=Amy Watson |date=30 December 2024 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=The Scotsman}}</ref> was born in 1952 or 1953 and raised in Inverkeithny<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-65950857 |title=Lawyer translates Bible into Doric over 17 years |author=Ken Banks |date=21 June 2023 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=BBC News}}</ref> in the historic county of Banffshire.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/aberdeenshire-kirk-elder-who-translated-9826168 |title=Aberdeenshire kirk elder who translated whole Bible into Doric honoured with MBE |author=Lucinda Cameron |author2=Ruaraidh Britton |date=30 December 2024 |access-date=17 September 2025 |work=Aberdeen Live}}</ref> He attended Inverkeithny Parish Church which was then part of the Church of Scotland<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/harvest-festival-celebration-at-inverkeithny-289982/ |title=Harvest Festival celebration at Inverkeithny |author=David Porter |date=8 October 2022 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=Grampian Online}}</ref> and his passion for Doric was inspired by Charles Murray's poem "It wisna his Wyte", which he performed at a school concert.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/5849995/gordon-hay-old-testament-doric-bible-project/ |title=Let there be fit like: Retired Peterhead solicitor translates the Bible into Doric in 17-year project |author=Neil Drysdale |author2=Denny Andonova |date=21 June 2023 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=The Press and Journal}}</ref>
== Career == Hay was a solicitor when he started working on a Doric translation of the New Testament in 2006, finishing and publishing it in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19400903 |title=Bible's New Testament translated into Doric by Gordon Hay |date=28 August 2012 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=BBC News}}</ref> He then began working on a translation of the Old Testament, retiring as a solicitor during this time and publishing it in 2023. While parts of the Bible had previously been translated into Scots, Hay's translation is the first to cover it completely.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/translation-of-the-old-and-new-testaments-into-doric-is-comp-317808/ |title=Translation of the Aul and New Testaments into Doric is completed |author=David Porter |date=21 June 2023 |access-date=17 September 2025 |work=Grampian Online}}</ref> He was invited by Jackie Dunbar, the MSP for Aberdeen Donside, to appear at the Scottish Parliament's Time for Reflection to read parts of the translation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-30-01-2024?meeting=15681 |title=Meeting of the Parliament |date=30 January 2024 |access-date=18 September 2025 |publisher=Scottish Parliament}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/aberdeen-man-who-spent-17-9075824 |title=Aberdeen man who spent 17 years translating Bible into Doric addresses Scottish Parliament |author=Jon Hebditch |date=3 February 2024 |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=Aberdeen Live}}</ref>
In 2021, Hay published a compilation of nursery rhymes titled ''Doric Nursery Rhymes for Loons & Quines''<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/aberdeenshire-author-releases-new-book-featuring-nursery-rhy-257275/ |title=Aberdeenshire author releases new book featuring nursery rhymes in Doric |author=Kyle Ritchie |date=16 November 2021 |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=Grampian Online}}</ref> which subsequently won the 2022 Bairns' Beuk o the Year from the {{Interlanguage link|Scots Language Awards|sco|Scots Leid Awards}}.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/scottish-language-awards-bairns-beuk-o-the-year-289984/ |title=Scottish Language Awards Bairns' Beuk o the Year |author=David Porter |date=7 October 2022 |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=Grampian Online}}</ref> Other works he has translated include ''Peter and the Wolf''<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/swi-group-welcomes-north-east-and-doric-expert-329530/ |title=SWI group welcomes north-east and Doric expert |author=Kyle Ritchie |date=13 October 2023 |access-date=2 October 2025 |work=Grampian Online}}</ref> and parts of ''The Pickwick Papers''<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/national/kirk-elder-who-translated-whole-bible-into-doric-honoured-124230/ |title=Kirk elder who translated whole Bible into Doric honoured |date=30 December 2024 |access-date=2 October 2025 |work=Grampian Online}}</ref> and George Frederic Handel's ''Messiah''.<ref name="scotsman_oldtestament">{{Cite news |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/retired-solicitor-completes-17-year-translation-of-the-bible-into-doric-4199309 |title=Retired solicitor completes 17-year translation of the Bible into Doric |author=Dawn Renton |date=28 June 2023 |access-date=2 October 2025 |work=The Scotsman}}</ref>
Hay was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire as part of the 2025 New Year Honours.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6660132/gordon-hay-from-peterhead-who-translated-bible-into-doric-made-mbe/ |title=Gordon Hay from Peterhead who translated Bible into Doric made MBE |author=Neil Drysdale |date=30 December 2024 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=The Press and Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/aberdeenshire-solicitor-absolutely-delight-after-10310269 |title=Aberdeenshire solicitor 'absolutely delighted' after receiving MBE for translating Bible into Doric |author=Nick Forbes |author2=Ruaraidh Britton |date=1 July 2025 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=Aberdeen Live}}</ref>
== Personal life == Hay has 3 children and 4 grandchildren. He is an elder of the Church of Scotland,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/aberdeenshire-kirk-elder-who-translated-9826168 |title=Aberdeenshire kirk elder who translated whole Bible into Doric honoured with MBE |author=Lucinda Cameron |author2=Ruaraidh Britton |date=30 December 2024 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=Aberdeen Live}}</ref> a church organist<ref name="scotsman_oldtestament" /> and the choirmaster at Longside Parish Church.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/huntly-has-three-new-mbes-370352/ |title=Gordon Highlanders stalwart among Huntly area's three MBEs on New Year's Honours List |author=Lewis McBlane |date=30 December 2024 |access-date=2 October 2025 |work=Grampian Online}}</ref>
== Bibliography == * ''The Doric New Testament'' (2012) * ''Doric Nursery Rhymes for Loons & Quines'' (2021) * ''The Doric Aul Testament'' (2023)
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Living people Category:1950s births Category:Scottish translators Category:Scots language Category:Writers from Aberdeenshire Category:Scottish solicitors Category:Scottish organists Category:Elders of the Church of Scotland Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Translators of the Bible into Scots {{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, Gordon McKenzie}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people)