Spanish is one of the most widespread and variegated languages in the world. From the tip of south america to the top of cental america, many people consider Spanish to be their native tongue. Spanish language influence can be felt in both the Philipines and Africa. Which Spanish, therefore, should be the spanish to make its way onto your page to maximize your share of the market and optimize the profit making potential of this language?It is important to remember that, as in English, despite the many forms and dialects and forms that this language takes, there is a standard form that is understood by everyone. You have perhaps heard of this referred to as "neutral Spanish". What is "neutral Spanish"? Put simply, it is the language denuded of any regional idioms, spellings or neologisms tied to a specific country or country. It is possible in English to write a sentence that follows the basic rules of the language and which uses commontly accepted words that everyone can understand. The same is true of Spanish. In order to maximize comprehension across the plethora of different countries and types of speakers on your site, it will be necessary to render the translation of your text in an easy to understand manner.
The linguistic evolution of this language is rich in history and cultural heritage and has taken quite many twits and turns from it's mother tongue of Latin.
The South American model of evolution takes a quite different route enriching the language with it's own varied histories, at time slightly altering and conversly preserving certain aspects of the language as it was given to them by the Spanish.
(text for Latin American history of Spanish Language)
The number of countries which consider Spanish to be their national language is staggering. It is truly a testament to the imperialist machine of Spain throughout the sixteenth century and indeed well beyond. Spanish is not only the dominant language in Central America, but can also claim the same title in ninety percent of South America with the only exceptions being Suriname and Brazil. It's reach is felt throughout the island nations of the Carribean including Cuba, The Dominican Republic and in our own Carribean state of Puerto Rico.
Its presence is also felt in the Canary Islands of the Atlantic and well into Africa with Morocco. the West Coast and Equatorial Guinea using it since the colonial age. However, it can be most strongly felt in the United States where many states, due to their increased Spanish speaking population, have now informally adopted Spanish as their second language of commerce and trade.
The most amazing aspect of this language is that its structure, though complex and rich, retains a simplicity and continuity that allows it to be used by 400 million speakers throughout the world while maintianing its integrity of both meaning and usage. It is this which allows people from nations sometimes from opposite sides of the globe to be able to communicate despite some regional differences of expression and idioms.
Although there is no uniform "Spanish Language" that is shared by all of the nations which use it, there is a denuded form of the language which can be stripped bare of any neologisms of regional idiomatic expressions that can be understood by all.
Sifting through the wide array of dialects which fit under this umbrella of Spanish Language can be problematic for the untrained. Transmunda Translation understands the subtleties contained in each dialect and can help you choose the appropriate Latin American form of Spanish to suit your needs.
(Latin American Spanish Link)
We can also hep you should you be courting a Spanish market in Spain which requires the European form of the language:
The following is a list of the different parts of speech and sound variations in Spanish.
Spanish, in addtion to using the same 26 letters found in the English alphabet uses a some other letters which are the á, ú, é, í, ó diereses u (ü) and n with tilde (ñ).
How, therefore, can a lanuage with all these additional phonetic sounds retain its integrity across the many countries that use it? The answer is that Spanish is a highly phonetic language with an equal and consistent ratio of sounds produced from the letters and written phonetic combinations available. Put simply, you can speak it as it is spelled.
There are however some things which truly ,both in written representation and spoken usage, belong to Spanish alone. Of these, the most conspicuous example, is the "rr" sound which is a trilled "r" sound that , for many new learners, represents the most daunting challange in pronounciation. There is also a good deal of confusion as to when to use the letters "b" and "v" when spelling out Spanish words as they are pronounced the same. Finaly, the letter "h" can also pose problems as it is largely silent. This is different from the 'j" sounds which replaces the "h" in words like "jefe" (pronounced "hefe") and Jose (pronounced "hose").
English has a total of 3 sounds for the "ñ". Conversely, there is a one to one ratio for the phonetic and written equivalents of the "ch" sound and the "ll". The "w" sounds is not a letter which represents a schwaa sound in Spanish, Rather, a combination of "u" and "e" are used to achieve the same effect.
Punctuation is another arena where Spanish differs from English. In addition to the interrogative (?) declarative (.,) and exclamatory (!) punctuation marks that are used in English, Spanish disposes of it's own punctuation signs. Interrogatives are used twice such as in the sentence, "¿Hay mas leche?" (Is ther more milk?). Likewise, exclamatory sentences also reuse the exclamation point before the beggining of the sentence, for example, '¡Abra los ojos!" (Open your eyes!") In addition to this reported speech is not separated by the use of quotation marks, but use a single dash (-) and is put into a separate paragraph.
There is also a different register of speech to denote polite and formal address which changes the pronoun as well as the individual conjugations of verbs depending on the type of pronoun being used. This is true not only in the singular forms of the pronouns but also the pluralized forms. For example, if one is speaking to a friend, informally, the "tu" form of the subject pronoun "you" should be used. However, when speaking to someone formally, the "usted" form of "you" must be used. In addition to using a different pronoun, the verb which follows it will take a different conjugation depending on the form. The last most formal form of "voz" which is used in countries like Argentina and Spain commonly also creates a different conjugation depending on the verb. Finally, the pluralized form of these pronouns (ustedes, and vosotros) also have separate conjugations to accomodate for not only the pluralized form but also for the social situation.
'Ser' and 'Estar' are two verbs which give newcomers to the language quite a lot of trouble. In the simplest of terms, "Ser" is employed when denoting permanent states of being. (Names, nationalities, and professions) 'Estar' is used for easily changeable states of being such as emotions and physical locations.
Noun and Modifier agreements. Spanish disposes of two different gender forms of nouns, feminine and masculine as well as singular and plural noun forms. Depending on the type of noun being used, adjective modifiers must change by adding certain leters to the end to denote that they are modifying a masculine, feminine, singular, or plural form. There are also permutations of singular masculine and femine and plural which have completely different endings.
Neutral Spanish
Market Objective:
Neutral Spanish is simplified by taking away any idiomatic expressions. Since certain expressions and idioms are rooted to a particular region, it may be counterproductive for you to use them. It may preclude you from obtaining and reaching markets beyond the that region. Neutral Spanish allows for a clear comprehension of your material so that it may reach the maximum market share.
You may have heard to Neutral Spanish referred to as Castilian Spanish.
Spanish from European Continent, Spain, Iberia or European Spanish
Market Objective:
Spain
There is much confusion over the common referent "castilian spanish". Spanish speakers from Spain define Castillian Spanish as being Spanish spoken by the people in Castilla. However, as with English, the speakers of Spanish that are located in the Americas use the same words, structures, verbs, and lexicon as those in Spain. The only difference between the two languages are the presence of certain idiomatic expressions, regional vocabulary for a small group of nounds, and accent. In many ways, they are the same differences that exist between English from Great Britain and American English.
Latin American Spanish
Objective Market
Latin and Central America as well as the Carribean
Latin American Spanish is similar to that of Spain. The only major difference being that the Spanish speakers in Latin America us the idiomatic expressions and certain regional neologisms that are connected to the individual countries that they were born. The differences between the two are again, very similar to the difference between British English and that of American English.
Which Spanish is more appropriate for my translations?
Depending on the individual langage conditions that exist in a particular area you might have to use different types of Spanish. Keep in mind that, even in a single country, there may be variations in the usage of certain expressions. It is therefore, something that must be considered on a case by case basis.
There are certain situations when you would be better off using neutral Spanish. In other cases, it would be more advisable to use Latin America. This is becuase at times you will be dealing with certain businesses that are dealing with a fixed populations. For example, certain American companies have a large population of Spanish speaking workers from Mexico. It is therefore necessary to change the type of Spanish to reach the larger population.
It is, therefore, necessary to be sure of the market that you are trying to reach and make adjustments in the type of translation you are using. This will clarify comprehension and help you reach your target audience more effectively.
Transmunda Translations will help you decide which Spanish will best suit your needs on a case by case basis. Regardless of the type of translation we will take into account your budget and timelines.
The Spanish language has evolved over thousands of years across many continents. Hence, many variations and "dialects" of the Spanish language have emerged and are in use across the globe. This presents an interesting situation for anyone that seeks to target all or part of the Spanish-Speaking market. It provides an opportunity to tailor a particular translation to target a very specific group, making your communication more effective. However, if your intention is to target a broader audience of Spanish-Speakers, you will need to use a "neutral Spanish" that will be accepted and understood by the entire Spanish-Speaking population. This can be a challenge given all the different local expressions and variations in the Spanish language depending on each country. Specifically, it utilizes more generic terminology and avoids the use of colloquial and more informal phrases that vary from country to country. It also takes into account terminology and phrases that may be considered offensive in certain countries.
Prior to sending a document, text or media file for translation, one of the most important decisions will be what type of Spanish should be used. While Spanish is considered to be a uniform language, it has "dialects" and forms of usage depending on your target audience. People from different countries speak different "versions" of Spanish. For example, certain Spanish words used in Spain can be considered offensive in Latin America. The question then becomes what type of Spanish should you use? At Trusted Translations, we will work with you to help you answer this question. The decision will depend on a variety of factors, including target audience, budget constraints, the type of product, the particular country and the overall communication objectives of your organization. Our team of professional
will examine all the factors and recommend whether your text should be in a "Neutral Spanish" or in a particular localized version of Spanish for a specific
(Spanish Speaking Market Link).
Transmunda Translation understands the challenges in dealing with Neutral Spanish and is one of the few companies that has expert Spanish Translators in almost every major Spanish Dialect. Our Spanish translators are trained in translating to and from neutral Spanish, thus ensuring that your translated text is accepted and understood by all Spanish speakers. This can be extremely important as you try to use the same
in various markets. Having a well translated document in neutral Spanish can also save you the expense of localizing the text to fit every target country.
Should you use a Spanish Dialect?
At the request of our
(Clients Link)
, Transmunda Translation will provide a more a tailored solution that can help target a narrow set of speakers from a specific region. For example, Trusted Translations can translate into an Iberian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, or US Hispanic Spanish. Many companies want to target a territory and prefer a Spanish that is neutral across a specific geographic region, such as Latin America.
Transmunda Translation generally recommends you use a Spanish that is understood and accepted by nearly all the Spanish speakers. However, if you need to address and communicate with a particular market, you may want to localize certain documents and interfaces, such as Spanish manuals, Spanish Software user interfaces, Spanish websites, Spanish legal documentation, Spanish technical specifications, etc. Our expert Spanish Project Managers will work with you to decide which is the best option depending on your objectives and resources.
