Post # 1
Member
1205 posts
Bumble bee
My father in law has a lot of family in Europe and they gave us some Euros and a few other gifts for our recent wedding. They haven’t seen my husband in 20+years and according to him, they don’t speak English. We don’t speak their languages.
How would you handle thanking them for their gifts? Just a simple thank you note without too much writing? Should we try to get my father in law to translate for us? Maybe we could include photos?
Has anyone come across anything like this before?
Post # 3
Member
14183 posts
Honey Beekeeper
Wow. No idea! What about a translation site? I’d have dad help definitely. They will appreciate it bein gin their own language. A picture of the two of you smiling and being all happy will reinforce the good vibes i think
Post # 4
Member
1045 posts
Bumble bee
Yes, I would definitely get your father-in law to translate for you, so that you can thank them in their language. Just something very simple– no need to go on and on for paragraphs! 🙂 Including a photo of the two of you with your Father-In-Law and Mother-In-Law would be a nice touch.
Post # 5
Member
1045 posts
Bumble bee
Just be careful with some of the online translation sites– a lot of them are just gist translations, and you don’t want to accidentally start a war and imply that you made out with all your new cousins and uncles-in-law when you really intended to say ‘I felt so welcomed by all of FI’s family during the celebration!’ Ha!
Post # 6
Member
960 posts
Busy bee
Depending on what language it is, maybe you could call a local college’s foreign language department and see if a professor would help you.
Post # 7
Member
999 posts
Busy bee
- Wedding: January 2010 - Mr. P's Grandparents’ Ranch
I think it will be a lot more meaningful to them if you actually wrote the thank you notes on their languages. And cool for you cause you can learn more words on te process 
Post # 8
Member
1205 posts
Bumble bee
We’ll probably enlist FIL’s help on this one. Who knew, I took 3 languages in school but not these!
On the online sites — yes, I have tried those because they’ve sent us messages online but I can’t make sense of them!
Post # 9
Member
444 posts
Helper bee
I think simple "thank you" in their language – on a card with a collage of pictures from the wedding or even your daily life photos…perhaps incorporating the gifts in the picture (cameo appearance of the gifts)…
I think EVERYone likes to see photos! A picture speaks thousand words!
Post # 10
Member
2470 posts
Buzzing bee
Actually, I’m disagreeing with the others here. My family is from Europe and they do not speak English, and my sisters and I don’t speak their language. It is two sided, obviously, and my father has always encouraged us to send them Thank You’s and other notes in English because it is a way they can make the effort to learn. So when we receive things, my dad usually will sit down and read it to us, let us learn key phrases and then write back to them Thanking them in Slovak and writing the rest of the note in English. It encourages them to drag out their dictionary and learn! I mean think about it, if being able to undersand the note really was an issue for them, they would have sent you the card in English… its taking just as much effort for you to receive their wishes as it will be for them to receive your thank you!
Post # 11
Member
2249 posts
Buzzing bee
pm me if you want some help- i speak french and italian!
Post # 12
Member
2004 posts
Buzzing bee
Which language do they speak? Maybe someone here can help you!
I vote for a simple message in their language (like "Thank you for the gift!") and a picture of you two from your wedding day, since they weren’t there to see it.
Post # 13
Member
133 posts
Blushing bee
I think a simple message is the way to go, no matter what language.
I have a ton of relatives that live in Asia who are coming to the wedding. I can’t write in their language but my parents encouraged me to write the notes in English. In this day in age, Mom said, most people would either know enough English to understand the sentiment or can find someone to easily translate for them.
I’m not sure what languages you’re referring to, but I was recently in Germany where almost everyone I met spoke English at a very proficient level. I’m sure that the language barrier will not be too great to overcome.