Are Language Variants Something I Need to Think About?
Not all Spanish language is created equal. Many different regions speak different kinds of Spanish.
For example, Spanish spoken on one side of the Atlantic differs from the other. Same with Portuguese and French.
Different countries speak the same language but vary for historical and cultural reasons. So yes, language variants are something you need to think about.
The same language comes with its colloquialism; ideally, the variants must be treated separately.
For example, do you require a French translation?
An excellent translation company will ask you from which country or countries you want to target with your translation. This determines which professional translator the agency will employ to translate what you need.
This also means that the translator must be a native of the significant geographical area you target. For example, if you are targeting those who speak French in Canada, the translator must be French Canadian.
There won’t be an issue with having someone from France translate for a Quebecois, but significant differences in terminology and idioms could be misinterpreted. That results in bad translations.
As mentioned before, Spanish spoken in Europe, for example, differs from Spanish spoken in Mexico. Differences in culture and region change some aspects of the language.
Marketing to Two Variants
Are you targeting countries that speak Spanish, like Spain and Mexico?
Will you need to pay for two different translations?
In most cases, you can get the translation in one variant, and an agency will charge a little extra to have it edited by a native linguist for the other variant, which saves you money and allows you to address each target audience.
This is true for many languages, but the exception is Portuguese.
This is because grammatical systems between the two variants have evolved in separate directions.
Brazilian Portuguese and Continental Portuguese are extreme in grammatical differences.
When you contact Atlas Language Services, we can recommend how to address your various targets best.
Please contact us at (815) 479-1600 or fill out the contact form today!