Which Spanish variant should you choose for your translation?

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By Molly Yurick | Compass author

The Spanish language is as beautiful as it is diverse. It’s a global language with an estimated 500 million native speakers and is the official language of 21 countries. But every country, culture, and community uses Spanish in its own way. Differences can be seen in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and more. For example, a word used every day in Spain can mean something quite different – or even be offensive! – in Venezuela, or vice versa. 

If you need to translate documents or content into Spanish, you must first identify your target audience and choose the appropriate variant.

How many Spanish variants are there?

It’s hard to put an exact number on this, but here are some of the most common Spanish variants that cover large target audiences:

• European Spanish, also known as “Castilian Spanish” 
  • European Spanish is spoken in Spain. Choose this variant if your audience is located in Europe. The Castilian variant is the most different from others because it’s the most isolated, both geographically and culturally.
• Latin American Spanish, also known as “LATAM Spanish”
  • If your audience is broad and located throughout Latin America, then your translation should be in Latin American Spanish. This variant avoids using country-specific colloquialisms so it can be understood by Spanish speakers across the continent.
• U.S. Spanish
  • If you’re aiming to reach the 53 million Spanish speakers living in the United States, go for the U.S. Spanish variant. Many people believe the U.S. Spanish variant is the same as Latin American Spanish. It’s not. U.S. Spanish has its own peculiarities, such as using English numbering conventions, sentence structure, and a whole lot of anglicisms. For example, “Dame chance,” translates as “Give me a chance,” and “¿Me das un ride?” translates as “Can you give me a ride?”
• Country-specific Spanish (e.g. Mexican Spanish)
  • Although most of the world’s Spanish-speaking countries are located in Latin America, each has its own variant. If your audience is geographically located in one specific country, translate into their specific variant.
• Neutral Spanish
  • There are no native speakers of Neutral Spanish, but everyone can understand it. Neutral Spanish is free of country-specific colloquialisms and uses simple language so any Spanish speaker, anywhere in the world, can read and understand your content. If you don’t have a specific audience in mind, neutral Spanish is the way to go.

Why is choosing the right Spanish variant important?

The short answer is because you want to connect with your audience. It’s important that they understand the message you’re trying to get across, loud and clear. 

Let me demonstrate what I mean using the two most common variants, Latin American Spanish and European Spanish:

Vocabulary

The word computer translates into European Spanish as ordenador and into LATAM Spanish as computadora. Car translates into European Spanish as coche but into LATAM Spanish as carro. Cell phone in translates into European Spanish as móvil, but celular in most Latin American countries. You’ll find even more differences at the country level. For example, in many Spanish-speaking countries, girlfriend is translated as novia, but in Chile people say polola. And the list goes on and on!

Grammar

In terms of grammar, pronoun usage provides a great example. In European Spanish, vosotros is used for the third-person plural you, while in Latin American Spanish ustedes instead. Both vosotros and ustedes come with their own verb conjugations, too. 

Formality

Spanish uses different levels of address to mark formality, but the way this is done can vary across variants. In most countries, you can be translated as tú (informal address) or usted (formal address). But the formal address isn’t used in the same way across cultures. For example, Spaniards use the formal address much less often than Mexicans. In Mexico, you could easily offend someone by using an informal address with the wrong person at the wrong time. But in Spain, you could actually offend someone by using the formal address, depending on the person and context. 

Pronunciation

Spain stands out for their unique pronunciation of the letters Z and C, depending on where the letter is placed in the word. For example, Spaniards pronounce the city of Barcelona as Barthelona, while Latin Americans say Barselona. 

The power of knowledge when choosing a Spanish variant

When you invest in translation, you want to get the most bang for your buck. That means using a translation that best reaches your audience. And that starts with choosing the right Spanish variant. 

But ensuring your message resonates with your target audience doesn’t stop there. You also need to pick the right translator for the job. My advice: Look for a professional who is a native speaker of the variant of Spanish you’re looking for and get it right the first time.

Start your search in the American Translators Association directory. A large portion of its almost 9,000 members are native Spanish speakers, so you’re sure to find a professional who speaks the variant and specializes in the types of text you need translated.

For more advice on how to hire a translator, check out this quick and easy guide.

About the Author

Molly Yurick is a Spanish to English subtitler and translator. Her subtitles can be seen on Netflix and she specializes in tourism translation. She is also an active volunteer for the American Translators Association. The American Translators Association represents almost 9,000 translators and interpreters in more than 100 countries. To hire a translation or interpreting professional, please visit www.atanet.org/directory.