How do we know what Spanish dialect to use in translations?
Dozens of distinct varieties and dialects of the Spanish language are used around the world and in the United States.
Most dialects correspond to specific geographic areas and are distinguished by differences in vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Given the fact that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world (and in the United States), it’s no surprise that dozens of dialects are used daily. Within Latin American Spanish you’ll find Mexican Spanish, which is further subdivided into distinct dialects depending on the area of the country. In some cases, a dialect may even be specific to an individual city.
Variations exist between socioeconomic classes. The spoken Spanish of a college-educated professional from Mexico City is as different from that of a gaucho (cattle rancher) in the Pampas of Argentina as is the English of a Wall Street investor from that of a Louisiana Bayou fisherman.
How do you choose which variety of Spanish to use when you translate content for your organization? Think about the standard English used in books, magazines and website articles. American English and British English vary widely. You might be charmed by the differences in sound and in regional idioms, but you can still communicate quite easily.
Most Spanish-speaking people can understand each other even with the different Spanish variations. With formal language, most Latin Americans use neutral, or standard, Spanish. Professional translators also know how to use standard Spanish, a form of the language that is intended to be as neutral as possible to be understood throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Using standard Spanish will save you from embarrassing situations in which certain words have offensive meanings in selected regions.
What if our non-English-speaking clients have a lower literacy level?
More important than regional differences, however, are educational differences that might make a complicated text in English more difficult for someone with a lower literacy level to understand.
If you sense that your target community has limited education, you need to communicate that to the translator to ensure that the translation reflects a reading level that is appropriate for them. Again, you’ll need to think about how they best consume information. In some cases, a voice-recorded message of your translation or a short video might be more effective than a traditional written translation.
Should we translate or transcreate?
A translation aims to read as if it were originally written in the language it was translated into while staying as faithful as possible to the exact wording of the original. Sometimes translations won’t suffice given the linguistic or cultural needs of a specific group. That’s when you should consider transcreation.
Transcreation, as the word implies, is a mix of translating and creating. It goes beyond transferring the content of the message to a second language to include the layout, colors, design and fonts, as well as cultural and linguistic context that suit the target market. During transcreation, the original text might be re-created, adapted or even rewritten.
The process requires close collaboration between the transcreator and the client for the transcreator to conduct extensive research to gauge the target audience’s expectations, habits and customs. Only then can they craft content that meets the client’s goals and the target audience’s expectations.