A Very Latino Christmas in the U.S.

Posted On December 24, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos/ 2 No Comments

One of the joys of living in a country with such a high number of immigrants is witnessing how people from different cultures meld traditions from their home country with those of the U.S. Christmastime for Latino immigrants is no different, though the traditions brought from Latin America are much more evident in areas with a large Hispanic community.

Latinos living in the States certainly don’t leave their Christmas traditions behind, but rather they add them to those they’ve found here. As Latin America is predominantly Catholic, Latinos bring the focus on religion and family to their celebrations stateside, something that is often overlooked in the secularization of the holiday.

While each country in Latin America has different traditions, there are some similarities. Posadas, which reenact the journey Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem, are most famous in Mexico, but are also done in other countries. Puerto Rico has a similar tradition called parrandas. Follow this link to read a description of posadas. It’s not uncommon to see Latinos having posadas in their neighborhoods in the U.S. from December 16th to December 24th.

Most Latinos have their big family meal on December 24th after attending midnight mass and reserve Christmas Day for relaxing. Since Latin American Christmas revolves more around celebrating Baby Jesus and reuniting with family, Santa Claus and his gifts are brought into the equation because of American influences.

The Hispanic holiday season continues on through January 6th, which is the feast of the Epiphany or El Dia de Los Reyes Magos. On this day, Latinos celebrate the arrival of the three kings or three wise men and children receive gifts. Some may argue that this day is even more joyous than Christmas Eve and many Latinos purchase a special bread called La Rosca De Los Reyes. To read more about this tradition, click here for an article about how this day is celebrated.

Should Americans Learn Spanish?

Posted On December 17, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos, Spanish Language/ 4 Comments

If you visit any of the scores of language immersion programs in Latin America, you’d think that Americans are thrilled to learn Spanish. And anyone who attended a four year college or university probably had a least a few friends who spent a semester in Spain, Guatemala, or Argentina.

But set foot in the United States and you’ll find a different sentiment about learning another language, especially if it’s Spanish. For every newspaper article about the need to hire more bilingual police officers or court interpreters providing their services, you’ll find a litany of the same complaints. These include: my grandma came from Italy and she learned English so Hispanics better too; why are my tax dollars paying police a salary differential for speaking the language of the illegals?; and if you don’t learn English, go back to your country?

Why is going abroad and learning some Spanish celebrated as a way to expand your mind, learn about a new culture, put some “Latin flavor” in your life, and add a new experience to your resume but the moment you reward someone for speaking Spanish in the States you are pandering to the “illegals” and eroding the fabric of America? Do the benefits of flexing your linguistic muscles disappear once you’re Stateside?

There will always be people who become enraged if the cashier at McDonald’s has a thick accent or immediately assumes that if your English is flawed or you speak Spanish to your partner you are an illegal alien. And people will continue to battle against bilingual education even as their little American child holds hands with another child from Mexico, singing and chattering in English and in Spanish.

But for those who are intrigued about learning Spanish, even as you worry that the face of America is changing into something you don’t recognize, take some small steps toward learning about the varied facets of Latino culture and see if it still scares you. Download some Marco Antonio Solis. Learn to make chimichurri. Watch the actors on a telenovela and see if you can follow the story through their gestures.

Next time you’re in line behind a Spanish-speaking family in Walmart, maybe you won’t think to yourself: “Why don’t they just go back to their country if they don’t speak English?”

Providing Financial Services to the “Unbanked”

Posted On November 26, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos, Spanish Translation, Translation Buyers/ 1 Comment

An article from the website Hispanic Bank Marketing cites that roughly 56 percent of Latinos are currently “unbanked,” meaning that they do not use financial institutions to keep their money safe and grow their savings. Why such a high percentage? The usual suspects of distrust, lack of accessibility, language barriers, and lack of understanding about how financial institutions can help come into play.

So what can banks and credit card companies do to reach out to this growing demographic in such a way that builds trust and shows Latinos how using financial institutions can be beneficial?

1. Having Spanish translations of flyers, publicity, forms, and contracts is always an excellent start.

2. Since online banking is becoming easier every day, a bank should have an easily navigable website available in Spanish.

3. At least one fully bilingual staff person should be available to answer questions, process transactions, and open accounts.

4. Banks and lenders may want to consider providing financial literacy training in community settings (such as at churches or community centers) with the aim of educating potential customers rather than selling products.
5. Once a bank representative finds a group to provide onsite financial literacy training to, she can offer add-on services such as one free credit counseling session at the bank.

Many Latino immigrants arrive in the U.S. with alternate ways of saving money. An example of this is the Mexican tanda which allows a group of people to pool their savings over time so that each receives a large lump sum, then used to make a larger purchase or down payment. And though remissions to family in one’s home country are decreasing in this economy, many Latinos continue sending potential savings back home.

Most likely the latter situation will not change, and is indeed an important part of the Latino immigrant experience. But by working with Latinos who are uneasy about putting their savings in the bank or nervous about cutting into their remissions, financial institutions can educate Latinos about alternate ways of savings and creating a long term safety net for their families both here and abroad.

Translation Outreach and Bilingual Employees: Two Halves of a Whole

Posted On November 20, 2008By TranspanishIn English Language, Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation/ No Comments

Many business owners and service providers are sold on the importance of providing Spanish language translations of their documents. Ensuring that Spanish speakers understand your written message will enable you to tap into a new demographic if you own a business or reach out to people who need your services if you are a nonprofit or for-profit service provider. Now that you’ve gotten Spanish speakers in the door by connecting with them in the language they understand best, make sure that you keep them by providing superlative customer service in person and over the phone. If Spanish speakers are drawn in by marketing materials in Spanish, they expect that the company will have a Spanish-speaking staff person to help them. If your company doesn’t have trained front-line staff to speak with customers in Spanish, the second best solution is to have interpretation services on call. Not having bilingual staff or fast access to an interpreter may cause you to lose potential customers. To provide seamless customer service to Spanish-speakers, keep the following in mind:

Spanish-speaking front line staff should be just as well-trained as your English speaking staff. Conversely, grabbing any employee to interpret just because he speaks Spanish looks unprofessional and will ultimately frustrate the customer.
Ask for evidence of Spanish language proficiency if the potential employee was not born in a Latin American country. Two semesters of college Spanish doesn’t make one bilingual. Neither does being a native Portuguese speaker, although many Portuguese speakers learn to speak Spanish well.
If serving a large number of Spanish speakers, make sure that you have sufficient bilingual staff. Bilingual staff shouldn’t serve a disproportionally large number of customers just because of their language skills.
Don’t expect your Spanish-speaking staff to take on translation duties. Translation, as does customer service, takes a special skill set.
If it’s not possible to have enough bilingual staff to fill your needs, make sure that you have a qualified interpretation service on call.

Having your materials translated into Spanish is an important first step. The above tips can help you to solidify first sales and create a connection with a whole new demographic of customers that will give them a great impression of your business.

Latinos “Moved the Needle” in 2008’s Historic Election

Posted On November 12, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos/ No Comments

As we mentioned in an earlier Transpanish Blog post, several groups pushed for Latino permanent residents to apply for citizenship in time for this year’s election. In fact, one in five new voters is Hispanic. Both Obama and McCain spent millions reaching out to Hispanic voters, especially in the swing states. These campaigns, along with non-partisan groups which encouraged Latinos to participate in civic life, made the votes of Hispanic citizens critical to the presidential race.

So what does this mean for Obama’s success? One well-known blogger says that Latinos voted against the Republicans and not for Obama. Tejeda’s blog offers some fascinating commentary about Latinos and politics, and is worth a read. In an Oppenheimer Report released before the election, the point is made that Obama’s almost flawless Spanish pronunciation and use of the familiar tu, may be disingenuous and make Latinos think that he’s more on their side than he actually is.

In Colorado and Florida, both key states, Latinos voted more than ever before. In Colorado, the number of Latinos who voted more than doubled from the 2004 election. A Colorado Independent article cites Pew Hispanic Center data showing that Latinos in Colorado made up 17 percent of total voters, up nine points from the 2004 election.

In Florida, Obama was the first Democrat to win the vote of the majority of Latino voters. While nationwide, Obama won by a larger margin, no other democrat has ever taken Florida since they begin doing exit polls in the 1980s. Older Cubans typically vote Republic, but Florida is experiencing a demographic and generational shift, as non-Cuban Hispanics and younger people of Cuban descent lean towards the blue. The Miami-Herald reports on what this may mean for Florida’s political landscape.

The Pew Hispanic Center, as always, provides detailed demographic info about Latinos in the U.S. and their report on the exit polls is no exception.

Of course, Obama hasn’t yet articulated a plan for immigration reform and Latinos themselves certainly don’t have a uniform stance on immigration. But whatever opinion Latinos have of immigration in the U.S., the NALEO Educational Fund is an incredible resource for Latinos who want to participate more deeply in civic life.

Nearing Election Day, Latino Vote Becomes Critical

Posted On October 22, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Translation Buyers/ No Comments

In the spring and summer of 2007, organizations working with immigrants made a huge campaign to encourage people to apply for citizenship for two reason: to beat the monumental fee increase in the end of July 2007 and to get America’s newest citizens ready in time for November 4th. More than a million applied for naturalization in 2007 and another 480,000 in 2008 (Source: Cox News Service), making this the most multicultural election in history.

And despite the English Only proponents, states are beefing up the ranks of poll workers with language skills because of the Voting Rights Act. This act requires that certain states and jurisdictions translate ballot materials into other languages and provide interpretation services in some cases.

Latinos typically lean toward blue, and judging from a survey by El Tiempo Latino, this year will be no different. The survey found that of the 502 interviewed, 85.2% said they’d vote for Obama and the remaining 14.8% for McCain (Source in Spanish: El Tiempo Latino). The National Post also found that Latinos are overwhelmingly in support of Obama, but with a ratio of 2 to 1. This article also states that Latinos have an affinity for Obama because his top three issues are those most important to Hispanics: the economy, the war in Iraq, and immigration reform.

But many asked after the debates: where is the dialogue on immigration? Why aren’t they talking about it since it’s such a hot issue for those across the spectrum, especially when the Latino vote is so critical?

According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, the candidates indeed are talking about immigration. Just not in English. Both candidates have been airing Spanish-language ads speaking to the immigration issue so as to gain the crucial Latino vote without alienating the general public (i.e. non-Spanish speakers) about this highly contested topic. While the article has a decidedly McCain slant to it, the overall question of why both candidates remain tight-lipped about immigration in English but are spending campaign ad dollars to sway the Latino vote is an interesting one.

Latinos and Real Estate

Posted On October 15, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Translation Buyers/ No Comments

As people in the United States of all socio-economic classes worry about financial problems, Latinos are disproportionately getting hit with foreclosures on their properties. Why are Latinos losing their homes to foreclosure at a faster rate than other demographics? The upsurge in subprime mortgages (mortgages with high interest rates and tenuous ethics meant specifically for those with bad credit history) is the main reason that Latinos are increasingly facing the threat of foreclosure. Whereas once Latinos with bad credit would have the option to either come up with cash or not purchase a property, subprime lenders began to target minorities with bad credit, knowing full-well that their customers would barely be able to make the payments. Consumers, never thinking that they would be able to own a home, were lulled by the promises of these lenders. A report by United for a Fair Economy called State of the Dream 2008: Foreclosed offers reasons for the damage, and suggestions for moving forward. Why are Latinos so affected by the fallout from this lending nightmare? Some of the reasons are:

Lack of understanding about the process to become a homeowner (nearly 4 in 5 are first-time homebuyers and don’t have the collective wisdom of family and friends to guide them).
The tendency to go with people they know for assistance and if a predatory lender is the only one in the neighborhood, that’s the only recommendation they can get.
The only choice often is to go with a subprime mortgage or not to buy at all.
The lack of alternative measures of financial responsibility, such as wiring money to home countries monthly or lengthy histories of rental payments.
Not having financial information explained in Spanish and not having real estate documents translated into Spanish.

By providing real estate consultations and financial advice in Spanish, real estate agencies and lenders can work to help Latinos avoid foreclosure in the future.

Transpanish offers 10% discount in Real Estate Translations.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

Posted On October 1, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/ No Comments

We are right in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th to October 15th. These 31 days are meant to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the U.S.’s largest linguistic and ethnic minority. The month-long homage to the contributions that Hispanics (those who trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries) appropriately begins on September 15th, which is Independence Day for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16th and Chile’s September 18th.

President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed the week that includes September 15th and 16th to be National Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and in 1988, the observance was expanded to an entire month. Each year there is a theme, and the theme of 2008 is Getting Involved: Our Families, Our Communities, Our Nation, which was chosen from the top five suggested themes.

Local and federal governments, private industry, community organizations, and media all contribute to the offerings throughout this month and the Internet is a great resource to learn about the impact Hispanics have made on this country as well as events that are happening across the country.

The U.S. Census Bureau provides a great set of statistics on Hispanics in the U.S. in honor of this month in such categories as Population, Businesses, Families, and Jobs. To read the stats and find links to the original sources of information, click here.

The Smithsonian Institute’s list of teaching resources gives a broad set of tools to begin exploring the range of ways that Latinos have contributed to our country.

AOL’s Latino Tu Vida channel is a portal to popular Latino culture with quizzes, info about Latino celebrities, and recipes. To sample these eclectic, entertaining offerings, start here.

These three links are just the beginning to exploring the rich and diverse culture that Hispanics bring to America. With two weeks left to the month-long celebration, try to attend one of the many celebrations and educational events happening across the country.

More resources:

Hispanic Community in US

Spanish Language

Latinos