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Spanish in the USA
More and more companies are finding out just how big a market the Latino community in the USA has become and the importance of communicating with this market directly in Spanish. And with good reason: firstly, the number of Hispanics now living in the US has risen to over 35 million - all of them potential consumers. This figure is even more impressive when one considers that the total population of Spain is less than 40 million. Secondly, between 55% and 60% of Hispanic adults living in areas with a high density of Spanish speaking population, such as Los Angeles, prefer and more readily understand advertising in Spanish (C. Silva-Corvalán "La situación del español en Estados Unidos"[the role of Spanish in the USA] ).This means that there is now no alternative other than to admit the importance the language has acquired in the US. Contrary to many people's predictions, Spanish is losing its status as a minority language and has become the second most spoken language in the USA. Furthermore, Hispanic culture in the USA is becoming increasingly more fashionable and marketable - to such an extent that even President Bush boasts a smattering of the language of Cervantes. The importance of Spanish in America is not in doubt. The real problem arises when one tries to analyse the variant of Spanish involved. If one were only to look at the latest census data (66.1% of Hispanic residents in the USA are of Mexican origin) then one would probably be confused by the need for so much research and concern over the question of which variant is dominant. One would simply assume that it was Mexican Spanish, at least for the immense majority. But things are not so simple. The Hispanic population in the USA is not equally distributed throughout all the states, so that, although Hispanics of Mexican origin are the clear majority, there are some cities with larger groups from other countries (such as in Florida, where Cubans are in the majority, followed by Puerto Ricans). Another important point concerns generations. If it is true that the first generation of immigrants are completely fluent in their mother tongue, this is not the case with the second and third generations, who have lived with the influence of English since birth. And it is this mixture that has been the breeding ground for what is now known as Spanglish or Espanglés - and the real controversy among linguists. The existence of Spanglish cannot be denied, especially in spoken language, but there is no such unanimity on the question of whether it should be resisted or preserved. The professionals whose job is to translate into Spanish in the US have to face this dilemma: since the basic rules of Spanish grammar are constantly ignored in spoken Spanish, should they ignore them too? Should they reproduce Spanglish, even though this would involve such corruptions as "vacunar la carpeta" (literally "vaccinate the folder", but meaningvacuum the carpet)? In our opinion, Spanish must maintain signs of its identity, those signs that identify it as Spanish; thus it does not seem right to ignore a language's basic grammar rules. However, it is impossible to struggle against the way people speak on a purely lexical level. It is therefore essential that linguists responsible for translating into Spanish in the US learn to live with the language as it is used, but back this up with a solid academic education that guarantees knowledge of established grammar and norms. From the point of view of a translation and localization agency, whose clients do not necessarily understand the language into which the text is being translated, it is vital that the client is informed of the possible - and probable - criticisms concerning the Spanish on their website. The wide variety of Latinos of many origins living together in a country where Spanish is not the main language means that it is impossible to talk about one particular Spanish. Rather it is a question of a wide range of "Spanishes", encompassing some of the worst barbarisms and the work of some of the most respected Spanish language scholars in the world. Ana Padrón Marrero
Translation Team Manager
Weblations Some interesting links on the topic: http://cvc.cervantes.es/obref/anuario/anuario_00/silva/
A detailed study of Spanish in the USA. (Article from 2000.) http://cvc.cervantes.es/obref/anuario/anuario_00/morales/
Spanish in the USA, concentrating on Florida. http://www.cuadernoscervantes.com/prensa0025.html
A discussion of the huge number of Anglicisms that have flooded into Spanish. Of particular interest is the brief glossary of terms and acronyms related to the Internet, given at the end. http://www.cuadernoscervantes.com/prensa0005.html
Spanish is gaining strength worldwide, but still has a long way to go on the Internet. http://www.el-castellano.com/jackdrae.html
For a fuller understanding of the Dictionary of the Real Academia Española (Spanish Royal Academy) (DRAE) and its importance. http://www.el-castellano.com/spanxcas.html
Xosé Castro, a prestigious translator who has worked with Weblations on a number of occasions, attacks the idea of Spanglish. http://maja.dit.upm.es/~aalvarez/pitfalls/
A list of the most frequent false friends, barbarisms, and errors in English to Spanish translations, alongside the correct translation. http://www.el-castellano.com/spanglis.html
Five scholars debate the subject of Spanglish. http://www.cuadernoscervantes.com/entrevilanstavans.html
Doctor Ilán Stavans, a Spanglish defender and scholar, discusses its origins, the diversity covered by the term, and his vision of Spanish in the USA.
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