The Hybrid Called Spanglish

Young Hispanic rappers use it in music, while poets and novelists are adapting it to their literary endeavors. Spanglish is soon becoming the language of choice for a growing number of Hispanics in America. Even Spanish-speaking television stations Telemundo and Univision are incorporating this new dialect into their daily broadcasts. Many recognize the potential of Spanglish as a powerful tool that taps into a bicultural world and targets the lucrative Hispanic Market.

Maria Conchita Alonso’s new Telemundo variety show called Al Dia is a key example of the increased prevalence of Spanglish in the media. “How are you? Que lindos se ven todos!” she says as she enthusiastically greets the crowd. The mixing or code switching of Spanish and English comes naturally to her and is well received by the predominately bilingual audience. The show has been such a hit that it will be switched to prime time this season. Telemundo is not alone in its endeavor to indoctrinate Spanglish into the media. Critically acclaimed Hispanic writers Ana Castillo, Julia Alvarez and Sandra Cisneros regard it as a legitimate, creative form of communication and routinely incorporate it into their works. These prior examples demonstrate the increasingly widespread use of Spanglish throughout the media and popular culture.

If used wisely, Spanglish can be a powerful advertising tool to profit from the growing purchasing power of Latinos acculturating to America. At the same time, its prevalence poses a challenge for translators throughout the world, more specifically with respect to the localization of Professional Spanish translations. The many variations of Spanglish make it difficult to exactly translate a phrase and ensure that the entirety of a diverse Latino audience will comprehend the message. Inevitably, these issues must be addressed by the Spanish-Language advertising and translation industries as millions of acculturated Hispanics take on more prominent roles in business, media and the arts, giving this new dialect growing influence.

By Karina Lairet