May 7, 2025
In a moving ceremony held on April 25, at the Governor’s House in Fort Amsterdam, Curaçao, Dr. Marlon Winedt, UBS, Global Translation Consultant, was officially decorated with a Royal Honour by Her Excellency Lucille George-Wout, Governor of Curaçao, on behalf of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
The ceremony, which took place in the historic seat of government, recognised 13 individuals — 12 citizens of Curaçao and one Dutch national — for their exceptional contributions to society.
Dr. Marlon Winedt was awarded a Royal Decoration as an Officer in the order of Oranje-Nassau, recognising decades of work in Bible translation, the promotion of language equality, contributions to religious and cultural life, and research into the Slavery past.
The motivation letter lists his numerous merits and contributions: “Marlon Winedt is being honoured for his remarkable and sustained contributions in several fields. As a Bible translator, he played a pivotal role in making the Bible accessible in Papiamentu, the heart language of the people of Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. As a spiritual leader, he has served his community with dedication, insight and social compassion. As an international translation consultant for the United Bible Societies, he advised translation projects, trained translators and other translation consultants during the course of 35 years, being a tireless advocate for the inclusion and empowerment of indigenous and Creole languages in Scripture translation and usage.
His intellectual leadership and spiritual vision are recognised both locally and internationally; Winedt’s efforts to promote Caribbean identity, culture and languages—both in religious contexts and in academic discourse—deserve special commendation.”
What makes the recognition particularly meaningful is that Royal Decorations are nominated and approved not by national authorities alone, but by local committees. Across the Kingdom — including the autonomous islands in the Caribbean — communities have the opportunity to highlight and honour the contributions of their own citizens.
This distinction is awarded following a nomination submitted by a representative number of petitioners to an independent advisory committee on the island of Curaçao. This committee, after receiving both local and international commendations and conducting thorough research into the candidate’s public contributions, has chosen to put forward Winedt’s name. The Governor has in turn submitted this recommendation to the national Royal Honours Committee in the Netherlands, which advises the King on honours to be conferred across all Dutch municipalities and autonomous territories.
In a moment of distinction, Dr. Winedt was also invited to deliver a response on behalf of all the honourees. He emphasised the collective nature of the work: “This honour is actually not just mine, but belongs to all my colleagues who worked on the Bible translation of Papiamentu. Also, to those who have allowed me to grow academically and spiritually from my childhood.”
This recognition powerfully affirms the role of faith, language, and cultural identity in shaping and strengthening communities.
