We’re frequently asked to translate documents from English into Spanish. But while you may think that an ‘into Spanish translation’ is straightforward, unfortunately that’s not always the case…
We receive requests from a huge variety of clients, but frequently we will be contacted by corporate companies who have documents that need translating. The document can arrive in pretty much any format (Word, PowerPoint, PDF), but the reasons for translation are pretty diverse. Sometimes a company is seeking to market a particular product internationally. At other times, a division or head office may wish to have material translated, in order to communicate with their staff on a global level.
This means that when we’re working on translations into Spanish, we always need to be one hundred percent sure of the target audience. A document which is destined for Spain, will, in all likelihood, use different terms for ‘you’ and also some different vocabulary, from say, documents destined for Argentina.
The use of ‘you’ is definitely something that crops up time and time again. Latin American varieties of Spanish do not use vosotros (you, plural, informal). Instead, the formal ustedes is used. And as with US English and UK English, there are also divergences when it comes to vocabulary, so a pen is lapicera in Argentina but is boligrafo in Spain…
These may seem like small differences, but they are actually pretty significant. We obviously need to replicate our original document as accurately as possible and need to ensure that the language used in the final copy is aimed at a specific, geographic audience. And if the client is really, really keen to focus on geography, then we can transcreate a document into Spanish – but that’s another story.
Need help?
Should you require our help with Spanish document translaiton, Translation and transcreation of advertising, PR and marketing material do not hesitate to get in touch with us for a quotation. Free quote and file uploads: https://knockhundred.com/contacts/free-quote
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