From our Passing on a Story department
This happened several years ago in a somewhat out of the way place. I feel a bit bad for the translator in the starring role in this post, so let's state for the record that there was no internet yet.
One day, a coworker showed up with American divorce papers and explained he needed a translation into German. He had already found a court certified translator but wanted to find out if the court order contained anything potentially difficult or problematic.
Helpful me read the few pages and found it utterly standard. No children involved, no wealth to distribute, basically a simple template deal. Telling him so, I handed it back to him.
Several weeks later, he showed up at the office and asked: Would you like to have a look?
The German text seemed unremarkable until the word "Schwiegermutter" caught my eye. Wait, that's mother in law, right? Did the English have a reference to the mother in law, I would certainly have noticed and remembered this.
A quick check, and the plot thickened. The English sentence contained a vinculo matrimonii, (bond of marriage), a legal term for absolute divorce. Back to the German: die Ehe wurde auf Antrag der Schwiegermutter geschieden.
Which is: the marriage was dissolved pursuant to a petition (or motion) of the mother in law.
Crap. Someone had had a bad day, maybe thinking "matron", maybe not thinking at all.
So, this stamp and the certification is all the German authorities need?
Yes, they want proof of divorce so she can remarry.
Well, there you go.
In hindsight, not a wise decision. But later, the coworker mentioned he had attended the marriage, so it ended well.
One more thing:
Although there probably are in-laws who wish they had this possibility, there is no U.S. law allowing to get rid of an unwanted daughter or son in law by asking a court to divorce them.
[Update 10/23] Longer, clearer title.
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