Spanish Translation: World’s Largest Spanish-Speaking Populations

The figures one sees for the number of Spanish speakers per country vary tremendously. One of the biggest factors is whether the number being cited includes all “Spanish speakers”—including those who speak Spanish as a first, second or even third language—or exclusively those who speak Spanish as their first or “native” language (their mother tongue, to use the common expression in Spanish).

Many countries in the Americas enjoy rich linguistic diversity (as does Spain), and not everyone there speaks Spanish as their first language. Additionally, in Brazil and the United States, significant portions of the population speak Spanish as a second language.

It is also interesting to note that, even though the number of first-language Spanish speakers in the United States is relatively small when considered as a percentage of the population (12%), this country still represents the third-largest native-speaking Spanish population in the world.

For example, compare these “top ten” lists:

Spanish Speakers (1^st or 2^nd language) *

1. Mexico — 107 million
2. United States — 50 million
3. Spain — 46 million
4. Colombia — 45 million
5. Argentina — 40 million
6. Venezuela — 28 million
7. Peru — 25 million
8. Chile — 17 million
9. Ecuador — 14 million
10. Brazil — 12 million

Spanish Speakers (“mother tongue” only) *

1. Mexico — 100 million
2. Colombia — 45 million
3. United States — 43 million
4. Spain — 42 million
5. Argentina — 39 million
6. Venezuela — 28 million
7. Peru — 23 million
8. Chile — 15 million
9. Ecuador — 13 million
10. Cuba — 11 million

* Source: 2009 study “The Economic Value of Spanish” funded by the United Nations and the International Telecommunications Union, based on population data from 2004-2005. Figures rounded to the nearest million. 2004-2005 data estimated 400 million first-language Spanish speakers, plus perhaps 25 million non-native speakers. However, the same study’s projections for 2009-2010 estimate approximately 500 million “Spanish speakers” in total.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

English-to-Spanish: Hispanics in the United States

A 2007 report by the Pew Hispanic Center provides statistics about how Hispanic immigrants in the United States manage Spanish and English.

Here, we recap a few points that are of great interest for anyone involved with Spanish translations for the United States.

• 52% of foreign-born Hispanics speak only Spanish at home.
• Only 23% of Latino immigrants say they can carry on a conversation in English very well. However, for their adult sons and daughters, this figure rises to 88%.
• Only 7% of foreign-born Latinos report that they speak English mostly or exclusively at home. In contrast, 48% of their adult sons and daughters speak mainly (or only) English with their own families.
• English proficiency also correlates with educational level. 54% of newly-arrived adult Latino immigrants with college degrees speak English “very well,” compared with 34% for those with high school diplomas. Among foreign-born Hispanics without high school diplomas, only 11% say they speak English “very well.”
• Ability of immigrants to speak English also varies according to country of origin. 52% of Puerto Rican immigrants say they speak English “very well,”, compared to 39% of South Americans, 31% of Cubans, and only 16% of Mexican immigrants.
• 71% of Mexican immigrants say they speak little or no English, as do 64% of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, 62% from Central America, 57% from Cuba, 44% from South America and 35% from Puerto Rico.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com