With over 500 million Spanish speakers worldwide, neutral Spanish translation can be a great option. But, there are times when it isn’t the right choice and a localized dialect works best. So, should you use it?
Let’s explore when to use a neutral Spanish translation, and when not to.
What is Neutral Spanish?
Neutral Spanish is a standardized version of the language that any Latin-American Spanish speaker understands. This type of translation avoids local nuances because it isn’t specific to any country or region. Argentina tends to have the most differences in their dialect, but they can still understand neutral Spanish.
Neutral Spanish is sometimes referred to as standard Spanish or international Spanish.
Why Would You Use a Neutral Spanish Translation?
- Sometimes, it’s just practical.
Imagine a public health center needs to share general information with hundreds of Spanish speakers. Localized translation just isn’t practical here because a patient’s birth country might be unknown. Moreover, the information is plain enough to be understood by all their patients. - Your material includes technical terms.
This is a big one! Let’s say you are sending out instructions for a parent portal for a school. You need to make sure parents can log on to access their student’s class information, assignments and school calendar. A neutral Spanish translation will do the trick! - Budget considerations.
Translating materials into different dialects can add up, and your organization may need to allocate money to different areas. While it might not be ideal for everything, a neutral Spanish translation is a budget-friendly option to get your message across.
When a Neutral Spanish Translation Isn’t the Right Choice
- You are communicating with people from Spain.
The Spanish spoken in Spain is quite different than the Spanish spoken in Latin America. Neutral Spanish is designed to standardize Latin-American dialects, not European. - Your message is individualized for a person.
As we discussed in our post about IEP Translations, certain applications are highly specific to a certain person. In this example, the school is completing the legal IEP paperwork that outlines the specific services for a student. So, a neutral Spanish translation won’t cut it. - Your organization is speaking directly with people from a specific country.
If your organization is speaking to Cuban immigrants, localized translation would be best. This way, a linguist could use the Cuban variety of Spanish they most often use in their daily lives.
American and British English have different spellings, slang and nuances. Similarly, these also vary country-to-country in South and Central America.
Hip Latina gave some examples of vocabulary differences across Latin American countries. Her examples could even lead to inadvertently insulting someone!
Questions to Ask When Deciding on a Translation Strategy
- Am I communicating with a large group of people where localized Spanish isn’t practical?
- Do I know what countries the Spanish-speakers are from? Are they from many countries?
- What’s my budget?
- Am I speaking to many people or one specific person?
- Is my information technical and straight-forward?
- Is my primary audience from Central and South America? Or, am I communicating with people from Spain?
Still Need Help Deciding? Reach Out and Let Us Help.
Alboum works with a wide variety of organizations in education, health and human services, and advocacy. Our professional Spanish translators can help you decide when to use a specific Spanish dialect, and when to use a neutral Spanish translation.
