Linguistic Differences Between Mexican and European Spanish: Motivating Multiple Translation Versions

The translation industry has come to expect separate translation versions for multiple dialects of some languages, but Spanish has been almost neglected. Currently the majority of translation organizations produce only a single Spanish translation version for the entire Spanish-speaking world. This practice appears inappropriate in light of significant linguistic differences between the many Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexico and Spain. Evidence has been examined in an effort to demonstrate that the use of at least two distinct translation versions in Spanish would increase understanding and enhance communication. Although the underlying arguments of this paper may be applicable across many Spanish dialects as well as dialects in other languages, this study focuses on the differences between the Spanish dialect common to Mexico and the Spanish spoken in Spain. No attempt has been made to establish the validity or correctness of one dialect over the other. Both dialects are accepted as equals in their respective positions as varieties of the Spanish language. The emphasis of this study has been placed on describing differences between the dialects as evidenced by the lexical and syntactic aspects of language. Detail of the different historical evolutions of the Spanish language in Mexico and Spain are included in the argumentation for distinct Spanish translation versions. The results of this study demonstrate that a single Spanish translation version may not convey the same meaning nor produce a common understanding to members of distinct Spanish dialect groups. Although the translation industry continues to overlook the importance of distinguishing between Mexican Spanish and European Spanish, translation versions developed upon the evidence presented in this thesis would produce a stronger communication link between source language and target language.

Thesis Author: de la Fuente, Rosa Maria

Year Completed: 2001

Committee Members: Melvin Luthy, Deryle Lonsdale

Thesis Chair: Alan K. Melby