The Meaning of ‘Quilombo’
Argentine Spanish is strewn with words and colorful phrases from Lunfardo, a rich vocabulary born on the streets of Buenos Aires in the second half of the 19th century. Now considered a fixture of the Spanish language in Argentina (especially in and around Buenos Aires) and Uruguay, linguists cite the use of Lunfardo as a defining […]
Researching Neutral Spanish Terms and Dialect-Specific Terms
When creating advertising campaigns, website content, or other materials geared toward a diverse Hispanic audience, companies are wise to consider the use of neutral Spanish (sometimes known as international Spanish). Translators and writers employing neutral Spanish seek to produce a text that is universally understood by Spanish speakers by avoiding regionalisms and colloquial language that […]
How Knowing Spanish Can Help You Learn Portuguese
Knowledge of any Romance language automatically offers learners a leg-up when they undertake the study of another language in that family; however, those with a solid base in Spanish have a particular advantage when it comes to studying Portuguese, given that the two languages share a great deal of vocabulary and similar grammar. While linguistic […]
Hispanics Reluctant to Participate in Clinical Research Trials
According to the latest demographic information culled from the 2010 U.S. Census, the Hispanic population now constitutes roughly 16% of the nation’s inhabitants, yet Hispanics’ participation in clinical research studies ranks disproportionately low in comparison to their overall percentage of the population. Every year, some 260,000 Americans volunteer to take part in medical research studies; […]
How to Type Foreign Language Characters and Accents
For translators, those studying a foreign language, or anyone living in a bilingual environment, the need to type foreign language characters or accents frequently arises. This situation poses a problem for those utilizing English language keyboards, since accent keys and other characters unique to Spanish or Portuguese, for example, are non-existent. However, it’s simple to […]
