When translating English to Spanish, which regionalism is best?

This issue often confuses many non-Spanish speakers. In our 1,000+ person-years of translation experience, MotionPoint has realized that there are almost as many regionalisms of Spanish as there are Spanish-speaking countries. Each regionalism has words, preferences, phrases and slang that are unique to its region.

Choosing the proper Spanish regionalism in which to translate depends on your target market. For instance: If the Spanish-speaking constituents or consumers in your areas are predominantly Mexican, then the regionalism you should choose for translation must appeal to Hispanics of Mexican origin.

But what if your target market is the entire U.S.? Your company should choose a type of Spanish translation that MotionPoint calls "universal" or "non-confrontational" Spanish. MotionPoint's translators are experts at this kind of translation. Universal Spanish uses words, terms and phrases that all Spanish speakers can easily understand. Words are carefully selected as to not offend any particular Hispanic group. This does not mean the words used in universal Spanish are stuffy, inflexible or unimaginative. In fact, universal Spanish can be as freewheeling as the wittiest English marketing copy (or as formal as legal or technical texts). Our professional human translators always account for the context and tone of the text they are translating, and choose words accordingly.

Such translation is challenging, and requires a comprehensive understanding of English, as well as many Spanish regionalisms. Few companies have this understanding. MotionPoint's experience -- and the size of our translation team -- assures you that we will supply you with translations that can be understood by all Spanish speakers.