Translating to “Mexican…” Spanish?

According to the Ethnologue Web site, in addition to Spanish, 290 living language varieties are spoken within Mexico. This includes between 87,000 and 100,000 people who speak Mexican Sign Language. Eight percent of Mexico’s population speaks one of many native-american languages. When creating Spanish translations for use in Mexico, it is important to understand that much of this country’s unique Spanish vocabulary reflects Mexico’s cultural diversity, and the influence of other languages that co-exist with Spanish.

To name just a few of the larger language varieties—other than Spanish—that are spoken in Mexico:

• 1,749,000 — Nahuatl language family
• 740,000 — Maya language varieties (southern states)
• 444,000 — Zapotec language family
• 418,070 — Mixtec language family
• 367,000 — Mazahua language varieties (México, Michoacán)
• 272,000 — Totonac language family (Puebla, Veracruz)
• 252,000 — Otomi language family
• 190,000 — Tzeltal language varieties (Chiapas)
• 185,000 — Mazatec family
• 134,000 — Chol language varieties (Chiapas and Sabanilla)
• 122,000 — Huastec varieties (Veracruz, San Luís Potosí)
• 120,000 — Me’phaa language varieties (Guerrero)
• 97,000 — Chinantec language family (Oaxaca)
• 95,000 — Tarahumara language family
• 90,000 — Mixe family (in Oaxaca)
• 79,000 — Tzotzil language varieties (Chiapas)
• 59,000 — Popoloca language family
• 42,000 — Chontal language varieties (Tabasco, Oaxaca)
• 40,000 — Mayo (Sonora , Sinaloa)
• 40,000 — Plautdietsch (German language; Chihuahua)
• 40,000 — Purepecha language varieties
• 38,000 — Chatino language family (Oaxaca)
• 36,000 — Tojolabal
• 28,000 — Amuzgo language family (Guerrero, Oaxaca)
• 25,000 — Tepehuan language family
• 20,000 — Huichol (Nayarit and Jalisco)
• 15,000 — Cora language varieties (Nayarit)

Considering the incredible linguistic diversity of this country, it is hardly surprising that Mexican Spanish (like many other varieties of Spanish spoken around the world) regularly uses so many words originating from languages already spoken in that country before the arrival of the Spanish in the early years of the 16^th century.

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

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Spanish Translations for Business

When translating from English to Spanish for business purposes, it is essential that the team of translators working on the Spanish translation be familiar with customary business language!

You may be surprised to learn that many freelance Spanish translators don’t come from a business background. Consequently, they may not be familiar with nuances and style conventions in commercial correspondence. When this is the case, you run the risk of receiving translations that can be overly literal, stilted, or be written in an excessively informal tone.

A professional translation agency uses teams of qualified linguists who have been tested for their knowledge of contemporary style conventions—including business language in both English and Spanish. Experienced translators know whether a given bit of jargon or business idiom should be translated, stay in English, or be substituted by some equivalent expression in the target language.

Business Spanish tends to be slightly more formal than contemporary English correspondence; for example, going to greater lengths to make requests sound less like commands. Greetings and closings also tend to be somewhat more formal, even slightly old-fashioned sounding when they are literally translated back to English. In short, there are style conventions, just as in any other language—and no matter how strong a person’s linguistic qualifications, these are no substitute for real-life experience with modern business correspondence.

Be sure to work with qualified, professional translators, whose field of expertise includes business as well as your particular technical field.

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