“The Spanish Acquisition”: A Variety Show

As we mentioned in our article The Global Neighborhood, a product or service might be successful in one cultural context; but then need to be altered—in some cases quite dramatically—to be successful in another.

Spanish is a great example.  Although the same language is spoken in many different countries, the meaning can vary greatly region to region. Spanish usage has adapted over the centuries due many influences.  In some countries there are still dozens of indigenous languages spoken. In others, immigrants from Europe or slaves from Africa have helped mold the cultural context. In very general terms, Spanish areas can be broken down to:

New World or Latin American Spanish regions:

• Mexican
• Caribbean (Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panama, and northern Colombia).
• Andean-Pacific (Peru, Ecuador, western Bolivia, Colombia and western Venezuela).
• Plata River (Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay)
• Chilean
• Central American (similar to Caribbean)
• Argentinian

Old World or areas of Spain:

• Northern Peninsular (Castilla-León, Cantabria, Basque country, Navarre, Aragón, Rioja, Provinces of Guadalajara and Cuenca)
• Central-Southern Peninsular (Madrid, Toledo, La Mancha)
• Southern Peninsular (Andalusia, Extremadura, and Murcia)
• Canarian (Canary Islands)

Interestingly, all Spanish dialects use the same written standard with the biggest variation in writing with pronoun usage. The spoken word, though, can vary significantly. There is plenty of variation in the words for everyday items like clothes and food with Latin American Spanish, for instance, shows a considerable influence from Native American dialects.

As we mentioned in our Google Translitigation article, mistranslations can be misleading and even offensive. For example, in Spain the verb coger means to catch a train, to take a bus etc:

eg Suelo coger el autobús al trabajo

I usually take the bus to work.

However, in Mexico and some parts of Latin America, the verb tomar is used instead because the word coger has negative (sexual) connotations that would offend women.

Check out the website SpanishDict for more amusing mistranslations and comical differences between Spanish-speaking regions.

Do all of these distinctions really make a difference? Yes. If you’re a business trying to expand to a Spanish-speaking area, you want to focus your marketing message and localize your product or service as best as you can. It is important to have a translator who understands not just the local language, but also these differences in usage and meanings within regions. AOT can provide this invaluable service.

For an overview of our translation expertise, visit our media and marketing translation page

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Category: Foreign Language