Although a lot of the information in areas such as health, medicine, business, technology, industry, laws, etc., is currently being translated into Spanish, it’s a small percentage compared to the information available in English.

I came across this article (in Spanish) that discusses one example of this issue. A common problem in the Spanish Forex is the lack of educational materials.

Traditionally the most developed countries represent the largest flow in the foreign exchange market. The power of their economies makes their currencies the most commonly traded in international markets: the U.S. Dollar, the Euro in the European Union, the Japanese Yen and British Pound.

Another reason why Forex has scant information in Spanish is that financial institutions, such as banks and corporate entities that use the Forex market to offset risks in exchange rates, have their operations and major customers in developed countries.

Most of the information and trading techniques that can be found online on the Forex market are in English.

Although there are few websites dedicated to the foreign exchange market, many of the terms used are in English and are impossible to translate. However, this does not mean that Spanish-speaking investors and traders have a disadvantage or don’t invest in this lucrative market. Suffice it to have an idea of what some terms mean, even if they can’t be translated, in order to be a good Forex operator.

Just like this example, there are many other areas where there is little information in Spanish.

The World Cup is the No. 1 sporting event in the world, being even more popular and attracting more fans than the Super Bowl. Having begun just a week ago, the games will be among the top subjects of conversation throughout Spanish-speakers in the U.S (and the world) up to the finals on July 11. Soccer is the most popular sport in Latin America: so it’s no suprise to see six Spanish-speaking countries — Argentina, Chile, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay — apart from their mother country Spain, among the 32 that have qualified for the final tournament. This fact makes Spanish the most common language represented by the tournament participants.

To follow the World Cup in Spanish from a Latin American point of view, here are some interesting Spanish-language resources:

Fanáticos — From AOL Latino.

FIFA.com — The Spanish version of the official site of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

Mundial Sudáfrica 2010 — From El Tiempo of Colombia.

Mundial Sudáfrica 2010 — from the Mexican television network Televisa

Torneo Mundial de Fútbol 2010 — From the Spanish-language Terra portal.

UnivisionFutbol.com — Soccer from the leading U.S. Spanish-language cable network.

To follow the tournament in English, be sure to check out the FIFA’s World Soccer site.

If you’re thinking about immigrating to the U.S., you’ll need to inform yourself well. There are numerous sites that provide interesting facts, suggestions and comments on everything that makes up the American culture and the American way of life (at least from an immigrant’s point of view….) The website aemigrar.com has “everything for the immigrant.” It covers topics such as: Before imigrating: Making the decision | Preparing your trip | The adaptation process | Those who stay and immigrate to: Live| Work | Study | Be illegal. It also discusses several aspects about each of the most wanted places to immigrate. In the section “I want to go to the United States”, you’ll find: Work, Business and Investment | Information about Visa | Housing | Types of Visas | Banking and Money | Transportation | Taxes | Education | Health | View Live Videos | Others. You’ll also find: Free Migration Services: Forums | Blackboard | Events & Scholarships | Stories | Letters of an emigrant | Embassies and documents.

The site answers questions relating to work immigration that include:

Many companies are starting to see the Hispanic market in the U.S. as an opportunity for them to increase their business. Regardless of the industry, the Hispanic community has become a mayor consumer force. And although only 1% of websites are translated into Spanish, this is likely to change soon.

Hilton Hotels, for example, followed the hospitality and travel industry’s trend by reaching out to its customers in their own language and launched a Spanish-language website in 2007. Other companies which have launched Spanish-language websites include Marriott, W Hotels, Jet Blue and Delta.

Hispanic shoppers can also go to BestBuy.com/espanol and view Spanish-language content on more than 12,000 products, gift cards and service plans. “By making BestBuy.com bilingual and revising our store signage and staffing, we are taking another step toward fulfilling Hispanic customers’ needs,” says Jeff Weness, director of Hispanic Initiatives.

However, not all companies seem to realize that Hispanic consumers want to see a Spanish version of their website. Such is the case of Puma, one of sport’s biggest brand names, which has failed to target this critical customer market. Passionate consumers created a Facebook group to apply pressure on Puma to launch their US site in Spanish. Their slogan:  PUMA – Un millón de amigos para que PUMA nos hable en español (PUMA: one million friends to make PUMA communicate with us in Spanish).

The group complains that the official Puma website can be viewed only in English, German and French but not in Spanish. Nor do they have any representatives for those who speak Spanish. Apparently, Puma brand sneakers are very popular among US Hispanics (Who knew?).

For more information on website translation, visit Spanish Translation Solutions