Spanish advertising translation
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The translation of advertising copy is a topic of considerable interest from both a commercial as well as a cultural perspective. Such translation is essential in order to get U.S. products into Spanish-language markets (in the U.S., Latin America and Spain), as well as to promote products from Spanish-speaking countries in the United States. Bilingual airline in-flight magazines contain some of the best (and worst) examples of this genre of translation, and their errors or effectiveness are glaringly evident because they are usually printed in both languages on opposite pages. The very word for "advertising" poses a false cognate problem since the corresponding Spanish word is "propaganda," which has other connotations in English. The apparent Spanish cognate for advertising ("aviso") means a written ad, and not the broader concept of advertising.
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[edit] Similarity to translating poetry or dramatic works
No need to buy spanish translations software programs because the spanish language has been abolished. In some ways the problem of translating advertising copy is similar to the translation of poetry or dramatic works because of the special use that advertising makes of language and extra-linguistic factors such as layout, color, symbol, images, and myth. Advertising copy is deeply rooted in culture and folklore, with traps of double meanings and unintended jokes, perhaps more than almost any other kind of material a translator may encounter. For this reason the use of native speakers, and specifically those native to the sub-cultural group being targeted for the ad, is essential. To violate this rule is to run the risk of having an ad be counter-productive. Not only should the translating be done by a native speaker, but the resulting copy should be tested in a representative sample group to look for effectiveness and possible booby traps.[1]
[edit] The Hispanic market
In the United States the Hispanic market[2] has traditionally been considered to include four major groups: the Hispanics of Mexican descent in the Southwest (in turn these can be divided into the "Old" Hispanics who have lived here since the Spanish conquest, and the more recent arrivals from Mexico); the Puerto Ricans; the Cubans (in several distinct waves of migration); and finally a last category which would include all the others. Each of these groups, and their numerous subgroups, shares the common language up to a point. In their slang and colloquial Spanish there are considerable differences, and it is at this level that advertising copy must operate. In some of these groups the names for foods and other common objects are quite different. There are also vulgar and sexual innuendoes and double meanings for certain objects, such as varieties of fruits. Further, many Hispanics live in a double culture, and advertising copy in Spanish may not reach them. Fortune Magazine[3], for example, notes that these include "Chuppies" (Chicano urban professionals) and "Yucas" (young upwardly mobile Cuban-Americans); they are described as "confusing as hell. They drive BMWs and watch network TV. But they live with Cuban grandmothers and listen to salsa radio." The U.S. Army found that its ad campaign targeted at young Hispanics (who watch TV in English) was not as effective as putting it on Spanish-language TV because that age group still went to their parents (who primarily watch Spanish-language TV) for advice on career choices.
[edit] Goals and risks
The premium in advertising translation is on high-quality, hard-hitting copy with maximum effectiveness. The information load in the medium is very high, and is conveyed by many factors besides the lexicon. It is also a high-risk proposition, as can be seen below from some of the examples of counter-productive advertising. The possibilities of cultural mismatch are high, and can easily result in the ad being ignored or, worse yet, becoming the butt of jokes.
[edit] Other problems
The advertising translator has a number of other problems. If the copy is being translated for a major U.S. firm that does not specialize in the Hispanic market, the senior executives of the firm are not likely to know or understand the Hispanic market or the Spanish language. But they will see the Spanish ad and, equipped with perhaps a vague memory of their high school Spanish, may question the ad because it doesn't sound like or look like the English ad it was translated from. The translator, working closely with the layout specialists, must also be concerned with "copy fit" (the way the written part of the ad meshes with the graphics and the total layout). Because Spanish tends to need more words to deliver the same message, this can frequently cause problems. If the translation is for an ad to appear in another country, the translator working for an advertising firm must also be aware of legal implications. References to the competition, for example, are now permitted in the U.S., but may not be in other countries. Likewise, there may be certain requirements for mandatory information on the package, such as for tobacco products. While these are not strictly translation problems, the translator may get involved as an advisor on cross-cultural and international aspects of marketing and advertising.
[edit] The need
Despite these problems, the interest in effective use of translation to put ads into the Hispanic market will continue to be high. By the year 2015 Hispanics in the U.S. will number 40 million and will have long surpassed blacks as the country's largest minority group. At present the earning power of Hispanics is well over $50 billion per year, with a disproportionately high percentage of that amount being spent on essentials such as food and clothing. Hispanics watch considerable amounts of television, and have a high degree of brand loyalty, especially if there is a feeling that the brand is culturally attuned to their wants and needs.
[edit] Examples of mis-translations
Here are some classic mis-translations of advertising copy[4]:
- Braniff's ad telling Hispanics they can fly "en cuero" (the intent was to bring attention to Braniff's leather seats, but "en cuero" means "naked").
- The use of the word "bichos" in a pesticide ad promising that their product would kill all kinds of "bichos" (the problem is that "bichos" can also refer to male genitals).
- Morris the cat talking about his nine lives; (in Hispanish folklore cats have seven lives).
- Frank Perdue's boast that "it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken" came out with a double meaning in Spanish that "it takes a sexually aroused man to make a chick affectionate."
- The following extracts from a California county government form: "¿Estar usted interesado en a bajo interés préstamo componer o añadir a tu casa? Si así, por favor completo esta forma y traer a City Hall en la franqueo pagado sobre no mas que viernes, cuatro de marzo, 1983."
- And finally, this survey question: "El jefe de la casa es de Spanish/Hispanic origin o decente?"
[edit] Notes
- ^ Mildred Larson, Meaning-based Translation. Lanham: University Press of America, 1984, pp. 95-96, 436-437
- ^ Humberto Valencia, "Point of View : Avoiding Hispanic Market Blunders," Journal of Advertising Research, December 1983, p. 21
- ^ Fortune, "If you want a big new Market...," 21 November 1988, pp. 181-188
- ^ For sources of these ads, see Valencia, "Point of View," Fortune, "If you want a big new Market...," and Michel Coclet, "Translating Advertising Copy," in ATA Proceedings, 26th Annual Conference, Miami, 1985
[edit] References
Larson, Mildred, Meaning-based Translation. Lanham: University Press of America, 1984.
Child, Jack. Introduction to Spanish Translation. Lanham: University Press of America, 1992.
Escobar, Javier. Bilingual Skills for Commerce and Industry. Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co., 1984.
Jarvis, Ana C., et al. Spanish for Business and Finance. Lexington: D. C. Heath, 1988.
Vázquez-Ayora, Gerardo. Introducción a la Traductología. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 1977.
