The Word Corner

When I get a request for a quote on a translation, I am often asked what kind of Spanish I speak, as if every country in Latin America speaks a different version of the language.

Microsoft has probably played a part in promoting this perception with its Microsoft Office Language Options screen.

I’ve written this post to help dispel some common misconceptions about the Spanish language.

Key Differences

The biggest difference between Spain and Latin America’s Spanish is in the pronunciation of the letter “z”.

In Spain, the letter “z” is pronounced like the “th” sound in “think” while in Latin America, it is pronounced like the letter “s”.

You can hear the difference in these sample sound files: Spanish Pronunciation Sound of the letter Z

The letter “c” in some cases is also pronounced as a Spanish “z” as in the word “cocido” (cooked).

If I talk to a Spaniard and I say “zapato” (shoe) without making the Spanish ‘z’ sound I will be perfectly understood. They’ll just know I’m not from Spain.

Another difference in Spanish pronunciation: People from Argentina pronounce “ll” (as in lluvia — rain) or “y” (as in yogur — yogurt) the way the letter “j” is pronounced in French (as in je). They also use vos instead of the second person singular pronoun tu (you).

Word usage and colloquial words

In Spain the word “ordenador” (from the French ordinateur) is used to refer to a computer while in Latin America we use the word “computadora” (as in computer).

I don’t use the word “ordenador” in my normal speech but I’m familiar with it and will use if I’m writing for a Spanish audience.

I never use the word “chamaca” (girl) in my daily speech either but I am familiar with the word and its meaning as I am familiar with other slang words from various Latin American countries and Spain.

Normally, you would not use such colloquial words in standard business communications anyway, so for all practical purposes those word variations are irrelevant.

Unlike British and U.S. English, there are NO SPELLING VARIATIONS between Spanish from Spain and Latin America.

One reason for this is that the Spanish language is officially regulated by the Royal Spanish Academy. This institution is a major publisher of dictionaries, grammar and style guides and has a formal procedure for admitting words into its publications.

In contrast, there’s not a governing body overseeing the English language, which explains the numerous differences in English spellings and pronunciation. New words are added to the English language every year from many sources including social trends, the media and new technology.

(There are other socio-historical factors that have kept the Spanish language or Castellano in a more standard form throughout the various Spanish speaking countries that are beyond the scope of this article).

Spanish in the U.S.

One can always find exceptions but in general, if someone has been raised and educated in a Spanish speaking country, then there’s a good probability they have a decent command of the Spanish language.

On the other hand, if someone has been raised in the U.S. or some other non-Spanish speaking country, even if Spanish is their native language it is likely they will not have mastery of the language, (unless they have pursued advanced studies in Spanish linguistics).

This is true particularly in the case of immigrants from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico, who have distorted the Spanish language a bit after living and working in the U.S. for a number of years.

One can not ignore the influence and role of the media in a person’s knowledge and mastery of a language. Spanish speaking attorneys and media personalities in the U.S. can often be heard on Spanish TV saying “La Corte” (The Court) instead of “El Tribunal” and “ticket” as in traffic ticket instead of “multa”. Spanish speakers living in the U.S. naturally pick up and use these words in their every day speech.

British vs. American English

The differences between British and American English are much more pronounced than those between Spain and Latin America’s Spanish when you consider the vast number of spelling variations, a situation that thankfully, we don’t have in Spanish.

The following is just a short sample of these variances:

          and there are many more…

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.

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