Spanish Translation Blog

A Different Type of Spanglish

English is invading Spanish! This is of course something of a two-way street, but it is hard to find a Spanish-speaking country whose dialect is not now infused with Anglicisms, loan words and outright bastardizations.

This happens with all languages, but the number of English words sprinkled into daily Spanish can truly be astounding when one listens for it.  This varies from country to country, between educational levels, income brackets, etc., but the intrusion can be witnessed almost everywhere.

Restaurants in Spanish-speaking countries, whether catering to foreign customers, trying to show some kind of foreign flair or just following what’s now commonplace, will advertise their bar, sandwiches, cheese cake and happy hours, despite the fact that all of these have their RAE certified Spanish equivalents. Hotels will also let you know check-in and check-out times, where the gym & spa are in the fitness center and how to connect to their wi-fi.
It’s not uncommon to hear “te mandé un mail: tuve que ir al cyber, porque mi pc no funciona” or “please, ¿me das un clip?”