Neutral Spanish

Can such a language exist?

The Spanish language was born in Spain out of the prolific womb of Vulgar Latin.  When Spain decided to conquer Latin America, they brought their language with them and introduced it to the indigenous peoples.

However, just as the United States of America is geographically cut off from England, producing different intonations, language patterns and phrases, the huge mountain ranges and impenetrable jungle landscapes of Latin America have isolated pockets of Spanish being spoken throughout the region.  There is also the same Atlantic Ocean that still separates them all from Mother Spain herself.  These geographic barriers produced several dialects of Spanish that sound distinctly different than the Spanish mother tongue.  As all languages evolve with time, almost every region of Latin America has a form of Spanish uniquely their own, with some distinctive nouns and phraseology.  Other areas that are so cut off from the outer world by nearly insurmountable geographic forces have kept a form of Spanish almost as pure as their Castilian predecessors.

Translations are often requested to be done in Latin American Spanish or “Neutral” Spanish.  But “Neutral” Spanish doesn’t really exist.  However, in an attempt to produce a neutral Spanish, a professional translator who understands the different dialects between the differing regions will choose the words that are most recognizable to the greatest number of Spanish readers living in the area.  Obviously, when dealing with a specific country, it is always best to employ a native speaker to concentrate on your target readership.

Have you encountered any difficulty dealing with different Latin American dialects?  What are the words and phrases you find the most commonly understood?

Christine Prantil

Links:

• More about Spanish translation