Business Translation for Mexico

According to some experts, the Mexico economy shares with the commonly known BRICs nations the potential to become, alongside the USA, one of the world’s six dominant economies. The reasons include improving infrastructure, a growing middle class, an expanding domestic consumer market and falling poverty. Regardless of whether the country qualifies as a BRICs (or ‘BRICM’) economy, doing business in Mexico undoubtedly offers plenty of potential for UK businesses.

Mexico economy translations – not just ‘simple Spanish translations’

Targeting Mexico’s markets will almost certainly require translation of marketing materials and other texts. Unfortunately, as for so many overseas markets, ‘simple translation’ alone may not ensure the clear communications needed to do business successfully. Skilled localisation will also be required to take into account the country’s linguistic and cultural differences.

The main Mexican language is Spanish (actually, Mexican Spanish, a dialect of its European counterpart). The differences between Spanish and Mexican Spanish include non-standard syntax patterns, use of different prepositions and the retention of vocabulary that is considered archaic in European Spanish. Mistakes with any one of these could be enough to undermine the effectiveness of your message.

did you know

Spanish was brought to Mexico beginning in the 16th century CE. As a result of Mexico City's central role in the colonial administration of New Spain, the population of the city included relatively large numbers of speakers from Spain. Mexico City (Tenochtitlán) had also been the capital of the Aztec Empire, and many speakers of the Aztec language Nahuatl continued to live there and in the surrounding region, outnumbering the Spanish-speakers for several generations. Consequently, Mexico City tended historically to exercise a standardizing effect over the entire country, more or less, evolving into a distinctive dialect of Spanish which incorporated a significant number of hispanicized Nahuatl words.

The territory of contemporary Mexico is not coextensive with what might be termed Mexican Spanish. Firstly, the Spanish of the Yucatán Peninsula is distinct from all other forms, both in intonation and in the incorporation of Mayan words. The Spanish spoken in the areas that border Guatemala resembles the variation of Central American Spanish spoken in that country, where the voseo is used. Secondly, the Spanish remained a language widely used in Texas after its independence from Mexico, where it is identified as Mex-Tex. Thirdly, after the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo many Mexicans remained in the territory taken by the U.S. and continued to speak Spanish within their communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming; a Spanish linguistic variety known as Ladino, as if it were ancient Castilian (which, for example, is still spoken in the town of La Mesilla). And also, the waves of 19th and 20th century migration from Mexico to the United States have very much contributed for Mexican Spanish to become the most widely spoken variety of Spanish in the United States, except on the East Coast (e.g. Miami.) The Spanish spoken in the Gulf Coastal areas of Veracruz and Tabasco and on the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, is also distinctive—at least at the level of vernacular speech—as the Spanish spoken there exhibits more Caribbean phonetic traits than that spoken in the rest of Mexico.

Regarding the evolution of the Spanish spoken in Mexico, the Swedish hispanist Bertil Malmberg points out that in Mexican Spanish, unlike most variations of the other Spanish-speaking countries, the vowels lose strength, while consonants are fully pronounced. Malmberg explains this by the influence of the consonant-complex Nahuatl language through bilingual speakers and place names. However, there are currently more than 50 native Mexican languages spoken throughout the country and they all contribute to the diversity of accents found all over Mexico. For instance, the tonal or "sing song" quality of some forms of Mexican Spanish derives from some of the indigenous languages such as Zapotec which, like Chinese, include tonality in their standard form.

Although Spanish has greatly influenced the Náhuatl language over the last five centuries, the influence of Náhuatl on the Spanish and English languages has also been profound, albeit not as recognizable. It is a tribute to the Aztec culture and people that a very large percentage of Náhuatl toponyms (place names) can be seen when looking at a map of México. Countless towns and cities from Sonora to Tabasco carry Náhuatl designations. As a matter of fact, the word México finds its origin in the language of the Mexica.

Náhuatl has provided an extraordinary number of words to the Spanish language, including aguacate, capulín, chile, chocolate, coyote, guacamole, mescal, peyote, and tomate. The English language has also adopted as its own many words that have their origins in Náhuatl, including avocado, chocolate, coyote, ocelot, tomato and tequila.

A key to doing business in Mexico

As your experienced translation and localisation partner, Gemini Translation Services is perfectly positioned to guide you safely through the subtleties of Mexican Spanish and its regional dialects. We actually go far beyond simple translation with a range of services including these:

• Business translation for Mexico
• Localising Spanish for Mexico
• Interpreting services for Mexican Spanish

Above all, our team understands the limitations of simple translation and the potential costs for businesses that skimp on careful localisation. That’s why every Gemini project, whether a single letter or a complete packaging campaign, includes full translation and localisation by experienced specialists – native speakers who understand every nuance of this language. It’s the only way to ensure that your message is perfect for your target audiences. From Mexico City to Spanish-speakers in the USA, nothing else will do if your message is to be received as intended.

Specialising in Business translation services for Mexican Spanish

With our commitment to correctly localised translation, and use of highly-skilled country experts, we specialise in the Mexican Spanish translation you need. Count on us to ensure every translation is fit for its purpose – clear, effective business communication with your audience.