Translating and U.S.-Cuba Relations

By Sarah-Claire Jordan

It’s no news now that Cuba and the U.S. have begun the process of restoring their relationship to what it was before the embargo. The changes include a visit from Obama, some restoration of tourism from the U.S. (for educational purposes only however) and modifications that make sending and receiving mail possible now.

This is a huge step for Cuba, which was shut off from all diplomatic relations with the U.S. beginning in 1959, including a trade embargo that still stands. However, the U.S. Treasury Department is still working towards letting up on some of these restrictions. So, this puts us in a position of optimism and hope for the future with our other neighbor to the south. Even if things are moving slowly, we can take this time to prepare for a future with open trade with Cuba.

Spanish translators, specifically those who specialize in Cuban or Caribbean Spanish, should get ready for an influx of translation jobs from all sorts of companies, specifically travel agencies and any other companies in the tourism and travel sectors. Companies that work with products unique to Cuba that haven’t been able to sell their wares in the U.S. might need translation help into English as well.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the Spanish of Cuba is unique. Cuban Spanish shares many of the same characteristics as the other varieties of Caribbean Spanish, such as the dropping of the “s” consonant on the ends of many words and the elimination of the “d” sound in words that end in “-ado” or “-ada”. However, most of the Spaniards who ended up settling in Cuba and ultimately influencing the dialect there were originally from the Canary Islands, a group of islands off the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Many words of Canarian origins are only used in Cuba and the Canary Islands.

In order for translators to be successful in profiting from this renewed relationship between Cuba and the U.S., they need to be well-versed not only in Cuban Spanish but also in Cuban culture. If a company approaches them to do a translation project and their product or service isn’t something that Cubans would be interested in, a good Cuban Spanish translator will know to turn this down and keep looking for other, more appropriate companies to do work for. Many Cubans may be hesitant to try new American products regardless, as they haven’t been able to get them for decades.

With all of this in mind, this is truly a great opportunity not just for translators, but for any business that has something to offer the wonderful island of Cuba. Sure, it may take some time to build trust again, but the path towards this goal will be filled with new business relationships, exciting new marketing campaigns, and so much more. Spanish translators would be foolish not to further research and make connections before the relationship between these two nations solidifies once again.

Tags: morocco

Category: Business Translation