*New* Local Spanish-Language News Online

This post is contributed by Intern Melissa Duque.

The Northwest now has a daily Spanish news website
… and I couldn’t be more excited.

I moved to the Northwest about a year ago, and over this past year I have been having trouble with my Spanish. I left a predominately Spanish-speaking community in Los Angeles to move to the Seattle area, where I have slowly begun to meet other Latinos.

My biggest issue hasn’t been speaking the language (a quick phone call to a friend or ordering in Spanish does the trick); it has been reading and comprehension that have caused me difficulties.

When it comes to getting my daily dose of news I watch local English-language television stations before my commute to get the weather and traffic. I get my national and international news from English-language broadcasts. Occasionally I will watch the local Spanish news station, Univisión, for international news but not for local.

I did try to read El Nuevo Herald from Miami for a couple of months, and although the celebrity news was great, the news stories weren’t relevant to me. Same goes for La Opinión from Los Angeles--lots of great information but not the stories I needed.

I am not like many of the local Latinos who go to small carnicerías (or "marquetas" as they call them) in the area, so I don’t have a chance to pick up “La Raza de Noroeste” but as of today I can go online to find daily Northwest news in Spanish at the publication's brand new site, Nuestro Noroeste.

The site is pretty easy to navigate and so far I like it. On my iPhone, it's a little difficult to navigate (really big photos) but on a desktop that's definitely visually appealing.

In the following weeks we shall see if this website becomes part of my morning ritual. For now, I will give it a chance. Let me know what you think about this new resource for Spanish speakers by leaving a comment.

Language as a variable in Hispanic marketing

The Spanish language is one way that marketers can differentiate their Hispanic marketing from that targeted to the general market. Sometimes it's the only way, but I think that's a miss.

In any case the language piece of Hispanic marketing has a lot of folks puzzled. I just read an Ad Age post that really sums it all up. Call it Language for Marketing to Hispanics 101. It's actually entitled E for Español and it's an excerpt from Hispanic agency Dieste's online Diestepedia.

Take a read and let me know your thoughts!

FREE: Early Literacy Parties in Spanish

For Hispanic parents and caregivers of preschool-aged children:
Now through King County Library System Foundation, they're offering series of eight weekly workshops for Spanish-speaking families. Learn how to prepare children for Kindergarten. This program is FREE and conducted entirely in Spanish.

It's offered at various locations:

• Burien Library
• Boulevard Park Library
• Federal Way 320th Library
• Richmond Beach Library
• Bellevue Regional Library
• Covington Library

If you'd like me to send you a bilingual PDF with all the details, please email me at lauri@conexion-marketing.com and I'll get it out to you!

Spread the word!

Girl Scout Latina Twilight Camp - First Time This Summer!

What a neat idea! Read this announcement our friends at Girl Scouts of Western Washington:

Join us during the summer of 2009 for the first Girl Scout Latina Twilight Camp “En busca del Dorado.” We offer a twilight camp where Latina girls and adult volunteers can come together to recognize the diversity of Latin-American cultures and learn about outdoor activities in Girl Scouts. This camp is going to be done mostly in Spanish.

WHO: Elementary School girls
WHEN: July 6-10 from 4-8 pm
WHERE: Redmond, WA Redmond- Woodinville Road (202)
HOW MUCH:$75 per girl. Siblings: the first one pays $30 and the second full price $75
The price includes activities, snacks, insurance, shirt, badge and lots of fun!

Financial Assistance is available through Girl Scouts of Western Washington; applications for financial assistance are due on May 30. (Please request a financial assistance form)

Camp registrations open on April 25 and closes to June 5. All placements will be first come, first serve. Confirmation notices will be e-mailed or mailed upon receipt of registrations. Please contact us to get a registration form.

We are looking for volunteers!!! All volunteers would receive training before camp, and the daughters of FULL TIME volunteers will pay only $30!!.

If you want to request a registration form, to volunteer, to participate, or for further information on the program, please contact the organization's Latina Program Coordinator María Alejandra Gómez at latinacamp@yahoo.com or mariaag@girlscoutsww.org or call 425-614-1126 or 206-399-4612.

Everyone is going to have fun! See website for more!

Great Idea for K - 5 Leaners: Day Camp en español

Why weren't there any of these when I was a kid?

Introducting Campo Risa--Summer Camp en español

OK so it's not really new, but it's new to me! Campo Risa (Camp Laughter) has been doing this since 2000, actually. This unique day camp offers games, arts & crafts, and language activities en español--with native Spanish speakers. 4 campers min.per session, snack provided.

WHEN: August 17th-21st, 2009, AM Session: 9am - 12pm or PM Session: 1 - 4pm
WHERE: Puesta del Sol Elementary, RM.403, 3810 132nd Ave SE, Bellevue 98006
COST: $ 180 per camper- sibling discounts: $100 per extra child; Scholarships available through Puesta del Sol PTA, all checks made out to PTA.

This camp is for students K-Grade 5 and is sponsored by the Puesta del Sol PTA.

For more details, please contact Señorita Maya: Camporisa_inc@yahoo.com or 425.802-1762

El Día de los Niños - April 30

Our friends at V-Me ("Intelligent Entertainment") announce special programming (on and off TV) for later this month.

We celebrate our children’s potential this month with El Día de los Niños (Children’s Day) on April 30.

Inspired by the traditional Mexican Día de los Niños, author Pat Mora helped establish El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros in the U.S. in 1997, giving the holiday a special emphasis on literacy. The U.S. Congress officially declared April 30 as the Day of the Child.

All over Washington state, schools, libraries and communities are marking the holiday with special events. Visit V-Me later this month for updates on an event near you.

And if you haven't yet tuned into V-Me, you really are missing some quality programming that's perfect for the whole family--en español.

Interpreter Needed for Bellevue Event

The Bellevue Parks Department is looking for a certified/professional intepreter who is bilingual in Spanish and English to make announcements on stage at our annual 4th of July Celebration in the Bellevue Downtown Park.

The hours would be approximately from 5 - 9 pm. Pay is $130.00 plus a meal ticket. Person must have a business license. The event annually draws close to 50,000 people each year.

Please contact Kevin Henry at khenry@bellevuewa.gov or call 425 452-7886

New Language Acess Requirements

This important info comes from Debi Kadis and our friends at Syntes Language Group:

Hot off the press!

The federal government just sent a significant message about the pivotal role of language access in economic recovery as federal agencies get ready to distribute funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an important reminder that all recipients of federal money, including private companies, must comply with Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which includes providing "language access for limited English proficient persons."

So, what does this mean for you and your organization? Here is some information to consider.

How do you determine what needs to be translated? The documents that should take priority and are considered vital are those that are required by law or are critical to obtaining services/products and benefits. Such documents include: applications, consent & complaint forms, and notices of rights and disciplinary action.

What about translation of website content? Website content also needs to be translated if it meets these same criteria. However, even if the content is on the web, the translated print material still needs to be made available as well.

How does this apply to interpreting? The obligation to provide meaningful opportunities to individuals with limited English proficiency is not restricted to written translations. Oral communication is often an essential component in imparting vital information to recipients. Foreign language interpreting may be required for such communication as proceedings, meetings, and consultations that involve the exchange of legal or other critical information.

What about enforcement and public pressure? Given this intensified focus on language access, increased media attention, public pressure, and legal enforcement will likely follow. What are the broader implications here? In addition to language access being tied to funding and legal issues, the broader underlying message is that language is a path to global competiveness, which extends to a greater recognition of domestic linguistic minorities.

Indeed, current research indicates that the US Hispanic market remains underserved by more than 40 percent. In addition, in a slow economy, many of the stronger US firms look abroad for opportunites and often get more of their revenue from outside of the United States. How can you get more information? To read more about language access as it relates to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit http://www.usdoj.gov/recovery. For more general information, visit LEP.gov, a government website designed to promote “a positive and cooperative understanding of the importance of language access.”

¿Quién es Ratón Pérez?

This is my five-year-old nephew, Aaron, who just lost two teeth--one before this pic, and then another right after! Why is this important to you?

Because say you're a dentist, or in any business at all, and you want to use the concept of "the tooth fairy" in your marketing to Latinos. In many countries, such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Spain, that isn't translated at all, but it's Ratón Pérez (Perez Mouse!) who brings kids money when they lose their baby teeth. He's not a fairy at all!

This is an example of when Internet translations/non-language professionals/non-native Spanish speakers can fail miserably.

Understand your target. To whom is your message directed? If it's to folks in Colombia, a direct translation in this particular case may work. But if it's to the general U.S. Hispanic population, you might try another tactic since different concepts are used in different Latin American countries and Spain.

In any case, as a multicultural/multilanguage marketer you must either be familiar with the dialect and culture of the people you're looking to embrace, or consult with someone who is.

Aaron now has two bucks in his piggy bank. Not bad!

ENGLISH to Become Washington State's Official Language?

I realize this is a very controversial issue, but let it be known that our legislators are trying to make English Washington's official language. What does that mean? In effect, it means that any and all government agency documents need only be produced in English.

Before you start your comments that this is America, we speak English here, please put yourself in the place of a recent immigrant, one of many hundreds of thousands, in a country where English is *not* spoken. Language learning requires much time--many years, for some--but in the meantime should you be cut off from services?

Think about that.

The entire bill language follows.


HOUSE BILL 1645

_____________________________________________

State of Washington 61st Legislature 2009 Regular Session

By Representatives McCune and Haler

1 AN ACT Relating to designating English as the official language of

2 the state; and adding a new section to chapter 1.20 RCW.

3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

4 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 1.20 RCW

5 to read as follows:

6 (1) English is designated as the official language of the state of

7 Washington.

8 (2) The official language is designated as the language of any

9 official public record and any official public meeting.

10 (a) An official public record is any record officially compiled,

11 published, or recorded by the state and any other document or record

12 subject to public inspection and copying under the public records act,

13 chapter 42.56 RCW.

14 (b) An official public meeting is any meeting required to be open

15 under chapter 42.30 RCW.

16 (3) Except as otherwise provided by law, no state agency or

17 political or taxing subdivision of the state may be required to provide

18 any documents, information, literature, or other written materials in

19 any language other than English. Nothing prohibits state agencies or

p. 1 HB 1645

1 political or taxing subdivisions from: (a) Publishing any official

2 public document or record in languages other than English at their

3 discretion, so long as the document or record is also published in

4 English; or (b) permitting a person who does not speak English to speak

5 or communicate at an official public meeting with the assistance of an

6 interpreter.

7 (4) This section shall not be construed in any way to infringe upon

8 the rights of citizens under the Washington state Constitution or the

9 United States Constitution in the use of language in any private

10 activity. No agency or officer of the state or any political or taxing

11 subdivision of the state may place any restrictions or requirements

12 regarding language usage in any business operating in the private

13 sector other than official documents, forms, submissions, or other

14 communications directed to government agencies and officers, which

15 communications shall be in the official language as recognized in this

16 section.

17 (5) The state of Washington recognizes the importance of

18 establishing and actively promoting English language classes, English

19 language training, or citizenship classes for nonnative speakers. The

20 institutions of higher education and community and technical colleges

21 are encouraged to offer such services and are encouraged to seek the

22 assistance of local political subdivisions, community-based agencies

23 and organizations, migrant worker groups, refugee resettlement

24 programs, schools, churches, and others in making nonnative speakers

25 aware of the availability of such classes and training and ensuring

26 their continuation and expansion.

27 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. If any provision of this act or its

28 application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the

29 remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other

30 persons or circumstances is not affected.

TRANSLATIONS: ¡muy importante!

I'll take this moment while I'm stuck in a Spokane, WA hotel to tell you why I know that translations are ¡pero, muy importante!

At Conexión Marketing, we do a lot of work with the Spanish language. In fact, nearly all the creative we're involved with is in Spanish, targeting the U.S. Hispanic market. We do our own original copywriting in Spanish, as well as translation management.

Many times, our clients come to us with a translation they've been provided by a third party. Sometimes these translations work just fine; other times they're just not good or (GASP!) clearly Internet-generated translations. (That's a definite NO-NO!) Sometimes the mistake isn't syntactical, but cultural.

So even just in the past couple of weeks, we've seen our share of big mistakes:

• Credit card communications copy in which the legal disclaimer had inaccurate translation that would render the Client liable;
• An interview screener that asked the wrong question in Spanish, based on cultural differences, and caused the "qualified" participants to become "unqualified," creating a last-minute scramble and additional cost to replace them;
• And our favorite (those who know Spanish will see the humor in this one): a client who provided the translation for "fro" (as in "afro") as "vaivén." This term can refer to something that waves do in the ocean, for example. ?? We couldn't figure out this one until we did some research. The dictionary showed one definition of "vaivén" as "to and fro." Even non-Spanish speakers will see how very wrong this is, because the "translator" took the term "fro" completely out of context. It made absolutely no sense!

To top it off, the above examples are from brands you all know!

Of course, we scrutinize all copy, whether we've managed the translation job ourselves, or are provided with a translation the client would like us to work from. It's always included in our service.

We've found that it ends up costing the client less money, and certainly less time and trouble, to get a correct and culturally relevant translation in the first place.

Think about it: If you wanted some copy written for your website, would you just turn to the first person who happens to speak English to write that copy for you? Well, this is what we've seen over years and years in the business! Our clients suggest that they have someone on staff (not a writer, not a creative) who "speaks Spanish." Sometimes that person isn't even a native Speaker! Sometimes they have not formally studied the language, so while their conversational abilities are just fine, they are not qualified to write your copy.

That neighbor who's from south of the border, or that staff person who is a native speaker, may give you a really "good deal," but you must think of your translations as an investment. You don't want a "good deal," you want it done right.

The language you employ--be it in your advertising, on your website, on your voice greetings--reflects your very brand. Make sure it speaks to your audience the right way in every language you take on.

The AFrican ConeXion 09

I'm spelling it the way they spell it! The AFrican ConeXion 09 is a local performance group that is auditioning for its bilingual performance of Callejón next Tuesday, October 28th. For details: http://tpsonline.org/auditions/auddb.php?Aud_ID=19113

Rose Cano and team are also unveiling 09 plans at an event starting 11 am this Sunday, October 26th at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, where you can see videos of their projects and give input into future endeavors for the group. Coffee and pastries will be served.

This group was awarded the Large Projects Grant from the Department of Neighborhoods - pretty cool. I'm looking forward to seeing the production of Callejón next June!