# Gordon Hay > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gordon_Hay > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gordon_Hay.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Hay > Source revision: 1330288147 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{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](/source/solicitor) who has translated a range of works into the [Doric dialect](/source/Doric_dialect_(Scotland)) of the [Scots language](/source/Scots_language). He is best known for writing the first complete translation of the [Bible](/source/Bible) into Scots. == Early life == Gordon McKenzie Hay{{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}} was born in 1952 or 1953 and raised in [Inverkeithny](/source/Inverkeithny){{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}} in the [historic county](/source/Counties_of_Scotland) of [Banffshire](/source/Banffshire).{{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}} He attended Inverkeithny Parish Church which was then part of the [Church of Scotland](/source/Church_of_Scotland){{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}} and his passion for Doric was inspired by [Charles Murray](/source/Charles_Murray_(poet))'s poem "It wisna his Wyte", which he performed at a school concert.{{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}} == Career == Hay was a solicitor when he started working on a Doric translation of the [New Testament](/source/New_Testament) in 2006, finishing and publishing it in 2012.{{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}} He then began working on a translation of the [Old Testament](/source/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](/source/Bible_translations_into_Scots), Hay's translation is the first to cover it completely.{{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}} He was invited by [Jackie Dunbar](/source/Jackie_Dunbar), the [MSP](/source/Member_of_the_Scottish_Parliament) for [Aberdeen Donside](/source/Aberdeen_Donside_(Scottish_Parliament_constituency)), to appear at the [Scottish Parliament](/source/Scottish_Parliament)'s Time for Reflection to read parts of the translation.{{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}}{{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}} In 2021, Hay published a compilation of [nursery rhyme](/source/nursery_rhyme)s titled ''Doric Nursery Rhymes for Loons & Quines''{{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}} which subsequently won the 2022 Bairns' Beuk o the Year from the {{Interlanguage link|Scots Language Awards|sco|Scots Leid Awards}}.{{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}} Other works he has translated include ''[Peter and the Wolf](/source/Peter_and_the_Wolf)''{{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}} and parts of ''[The Pickwick Papers](/source/The_Pickwick_Papers)''{{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}} and [George Frederic Handel](/source/George_Frederic_Handel)'s ''[Messiah](/source/Messiah_(Handel))''.{{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}} Hay was appointed a [Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire](/source/Member_of_the_Most_Excellent_Order_of_the_British_Empire) as part of the [2025 New Year Honours](/source/2025_New_Year_Honours).{{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}}{{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}} == Personal life == Hay has 3 children and 4 grandchildren. He is an [elder of the Church of Scotland](/source/elder_of_the_Church_of_Scotland),{{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}} a [church organist](/source/church_organist) and the choirmaster at [Longside](/source/Longside) Parish Church.{{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}} == 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) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gordon Hay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Hay) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Hay?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.