Getting Married In Argentina, Translator Requirement?

[cruizes]

I am still trying to figure the bullshit involved. Very frustrating!

 

[cruizes]

Unfortunately my Spanish sucks big time BUT this is why i thought i had the two native speakers with me....

 

[Redpossum]

What do you need the escribano at the wedding for?

To witness the pre-nup?

 

[sesamosinsal]

I got married in Capital, and I didn't need a translator. However, I speak Spanish better than English sometimes!

 

[Davidglen77]

I really don't understand why people get so bent out of shape when they come here and want to do something as serious as get married. Getting married in Argentina is not only a major life event but comes with extremely serious legal responsibilites and people think they should just be able to walk in, demand a marriage certificate and that's it. Hopefully nothing goes wrong or you or your spouse is never faced with probate and then you'll be glad that the legal part was done the way it was. Who is going to sign for the responsibility that the bride(s) and or groom(s) understood the questions that were asked of you by the judge? I don't think any of your witnesses can or will be willing to do that for you. Any person who doesn't speak spanish of an acceptable level should be required to have a legally sworn translator registered with the colegio de traductores attend and attest to the wedding. If the parties getting married are smart they would realize the importance of this and stop complaining.

 

[Ceviche]

Getting married in Argentina is not only a major life event but comes with extremely serious legal responsibilites

Please elaborate on this.

 

[Davidglen77]

Please elaborate on this.

First, under Argentine law you automatically become a first line heir to your spouse. In other words if your spouse dies, the surviving spouse is an automatic heir to all of the posessions that were acquired during the marriage, and in some cases, posessions acquired prior to marriage. This can cause major complications if there are ex-spouses and children from prior marriages involved in the equation and they are entitled to a percentage of the estate. Wills are not valid in Argentina. The same goes for inheriting outstanding debts in some cases as well. Marriage is a legal binding contract and is not to be taken lightly in this country. If the death of your spouse ocurred under any type of suspicious circumstances, their family can accuse you of all kinds of things including "abandono de personas" and while this is in litigation, you can be banned from leaving the country. This happened to someone I know. Not a fun scenario.

 

[ben]

Bottom line -

(while Davidglen may be right, it is unlikely that an interpreter at the ceremony itself will make people think twice about the issues he mentioned. Those who are up to thinking this through, will have done so by that point.)

- at the ceremony the judge explains your responsibilities towards each other, and a bunch if other stuff. Both the groom and bride are asked if they understand and accept this, and they respond "Si, acepto".

It's kind of expected that the chief participants understand what they're being told, and if it's understood that they don't, an interpreter must be brought. All in all, this is not illogical. They don't make money off this, the interpreter is paid his/her fee and that's it.

In my case, on one of my visits to the registro civil prior to the ceremony, I was administered an on-the-spot Spanish test which consisted of: "donde vivís?", -"donde naciste?", "en que fecha naciste?", and "trabajas acá?". Having passed that (I'd been in the country for a few months at that point), I kept my mouth shut at the ceremony except to say "Si, acepto".

 

[nikad]

When I got married, we were asked to bring an interpreter for my husband. It has to be a public interpreter. I think it is fair that both parties understand what they are doing and what is being said.

 

[Davidglen77]

When I got married, we were asked to bring an interpreter for my husband. It has to be a public interpreter. I think it is fair that both parties understand what they are doing and what is being said.

Another voice of reason.....thanks Nikad.
Everybody wants to do things rush rush rush with no questions asked and then when the bomb drops they're all screaming. Picture this - you get married here and you buy a nice apartment in Recoleta. Your spouse dies all of a sudden. That apartment was 50% your spouses, so his adult children are now claiming their share of that and 50% of everything else you have including bank accounts, car, etc. Welcome to admnistrative and legal hell......