Asking for lunch in Spanish

You might have seen this tweet by now. Besides making me think of how difficult the job of an SEO writer must be, it also reminded me of those of us who write or translate copy for the U.S. Hispanic market and Latin-American markets.

All Spanish speakers know (and wrestle!) with the idiosyncrasies of the Spanish language. When we write for a group of Hispanics that are as diverse as Latin America and Spain, the challenge is undeniable. For example, if you want an hors d’ouvre, you will probably find yourself asking for a “botana” to a Mexican, an “entremés” or “piscolabis” to a Puerto Rican, or for “tentempiés” or “tapas” to a Spaniard. If you wanted a sandwich for lunch, you could ask for a “sándwich”, “sándwiche”, “bocadillo”, “montado”, “emparedado”, or “torta”. Would you like and OJ with that? You would then ask for a “jugo de naranja”, for a “zumo de naranja” in Spain, or for a “jugo de china” in Puerto Rico.

The richness of our language, coupled with regional idiomatic variations, can make writing or translating Spanish copy for a culturally diverse public a real challenge. Add to those language variations the specific socio-cultural nuances of each Latin American country and you can understand why the Hispanic market can pose a challenge for companies and marketers.

Another interesting aspect of Hispanic marketing has to do with the art of translation. Who hasn’t heard urban legends about terrible translations? Some of these stories cannot be verified today, because they’re related to campaigns from the 1980’s and 1990’s. But the truth is that some of them can be very funny. (Even though I am sure they were not as funny to the companies that launched these messages).

In case you do not remember specific cases, I found some examples that are floating around in cyberspace:
• The tagline for a Braniff airlines ad that stated “Fly in leather” was translated as “Vuela en cuero”. (In Puerto Rico “en cuero” means “naked”; in Mexico “en cueros” with an “s” means the same).
• The famous slogan “Got milk” was allegedly translated as “¿Tienes leche?” (“Are you lactating?”) in Mexico.
• T-shirts with the slogan “Yo vi la Papa” (“I saw the potato” instead of “Yo vi al Papa/ I saw the Pope”) were produced in Miami when Pope John Paul II visited the city. 

Auto makers seem to have some trouble coming up with names that work well for the international market... some examples are the Nissan Moco (“Bugger”; thankfully this car was sold in Japan only), the Mitsubishi Pajero (“wanker”) and the Mazda Laputa (“the prostitute”). (Maybe this is why Nissan usually sticks with numbers to name its cars...)
 
After considering all of these factors, it makes sense to rely on a team of copywriters, translators and designers who are experienced in marketing to Hispanics when you’re thinking of producing an ad, campaign, promotion or any other message for the US Hispanic market or the Latin American market. Hispanic marketing experts can help you choose the right idiomatic and graphic elements for your message, taking into account cultural, geographic, demographic and psychographic considerations. Small and large companies and organizations should, at the very least, consult with experienced Hispanic marketers regarding the ideas they are considering for their Hispanic or Latin American campaigns, in order to validate them, or get valuable feedback in case they need to be tweaked.

Denise Santana - Copywriter