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Neutral Spanish
As with all languages, Spanish has become so widespread that regional dialects have become varied and different. For instance, a word in one Spanish-speaking town may mean something totally different in another. Therefore, translators have the difficult task of choosing one “neutral” word over another when providing their services. Neutral Spanish, also referred to as Universal or Standard Spanish, is a variation of the language that is more or less free of dialectical or regional differences, and is used primarily in formal situations and written language. Often, knowledge of Neutral Spanish is a social requirement for those in prestigious professions like the arts, teaching, or the media.
Neutral Spanish is not simply about generating a new language or developing new terms, but involves carefully selecting words that will be understood by a wide target audience. Just as important, the choice of words and phrases should also be free of being misunderstood by anyone. As Neutral Spanish has everyday uses in everything from television and movie
dubbing to search-engine optimization and advertising, it is important for translators and linguists to have a strong sense of their target audience. Companies like Translators, Inc. (www.translators.com) utilize their base of certified foreign-language specialists to always make appropriate decisions when considering which words and phrases to use in a Neutral Spanish situation. These decisions are based on expert experience and careful research.
Another example of a company using experience and research to hone Neutral Spanish is Telemundo, a Spanish-language American television network and second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world. According to Telemundo, Neutral Spanish is a cross between Colombian Spanish, which is slower and clear-cut, and Caribbean Spanish dialects that are faster spoken and sometimes less precise. Attempting to reach out to a broad target audience with their television programming, Telemundo models much of their Neutral Spanish on middle-of-the-road Mexican Spanish, which is considered to have a wide appeal and is relatively easy to understand. |
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