Library Services to Spanish Speakers: Translations

1
Library Services toSpanish SpeakersTranslations
Transcreations

• March 13, 2007
• Salvador Avila

2
Agenda

• Introduction
• Managerial Imagination
• Statistics
• Translation Transcreation
• Conclusion

3
Introduction
4
Webinar Participants will

• Learn about principle and signature qualities of
  translating and transcreating
• Enhance knowledge, understanding and perceptions
  of successful translating and transcreating
  approaches and
• Be prepared to identify and speak to the needs of
  translating and transcreating library literature.

5
Tidbits to Consider

• Something that is predictable about the Spanish
  Speaking community is that it is unpredictable
• Without the proper research and cultural
  awareness, your literature, decisions and
  services are at risk
• How can we value differences if we do not know
  what they are?

6
ManagerialImaginationExercise
7
Managerial Imagination

• The town librarian was concerned. Each day, at
  about 300 PM, eddies of schoolchildren washed
  into the librarys reading rooms. At about 500
  the tide of children began to ebb. By 600 the
  library was quiet once again. An informal survey
  revealed what was happening the library was
  being used as a day-care center for latchkey
  children. How should the librarian respond?

8
Managerial Response

• As a result, the library had become something
  more than simply a place where books were kept.
  It was now a kind of indoor park used by many
  citizens for varied purposes. Who was to say
  that care for latchkey children was not proper or
  valuable function for the library to provide if
  the librarian could think of a way to do so
  economically, effectively, and fairly, and with
  little cost to other functions of the library
  that had the sanction of tradition?

9
Statistics
10
The Numbers
11
Generations in the USAmong Latinos
12
Hispanic Population Estimates
13
Hispanic Population Estimates

• Between 2005 and 2025, the Spanish-speaking
  Hispanic segment will grow by 45 from 27.8
  million Hispanics (5 years of age over) in
  2005, to 40.2 million in 2025. Even with the
  accelerating growth of the 2nd and 3rd
  generations, the proportion that will speak
  Spanish will only decrease by 5 percentage
  points In 2025, an estimated 66 of Hispanics
  will speak Spanish, vs. 74 in 2005.

14
Language PreferenceDo you prefer reading in ?
15
Place of BirthDo you prefer reading in?
16
Reading at Risk Findings

• Literary reading is declining among whites,
  African Americans, and Hispanics
• The data show that the lowest literary reading
  rate is among male Hispanic Americans and
• There is no consistent pattern of literary
  reading by Hispanic Americans.

17
Reading at Risk Findings (cont)
18
Language Preference
19
Private Organizations vs. The Government Who can
do the best job of providing services to people
in need?
20
Primary Language Among Latinos, by Generation in
the US
21
Reasons Why Mexicans Dont Read

• Not Enough Time
• Laziness
• Books are Boring
• They Make You Fall Asleep

22
Translation and Transcreation
23
Has this happened to you?
24
Hispanic Market Handbook

• The prevalent tendency is translate or adapt a
  given text from English into Spanish, as opposed
  to creating a separate text in Spanish
• Sometimes it is better to use a less
  grammatically correct, more colloquial version of
  Spanish in lieu of a literally correct
  translation that does not communicate the
  intended meaning

25
Approaches

• Vocabulary in Spanish regarding soap or coffee
  may have strong emotional associations as part of
  growing up in their own countries however,
  vocabulary regarding banking or computers may be
  familiar only in English.

26
Approaches

• Messages in Mexico can be high on image and low
  on information because they are communicating
  with a commercially experienced audience. Here
  in the US, however, the masses of consumers need
  communications that are high on information and
  low on image. This is because they are
  inexperienced as consumers and eager to learn the
  basics about products.

27
Cultural Characteristics

• Defining attitudes are better explained by
  factors such as whether respondents are
  immigrants or US-born, the age at which they
  immigrated to the US if they are foreign born and
  whether their primary language is English or
  Spanish
• The size of the Hispanic community or
  neighborhood in which the person lives may either
  accelerate or slow the acculturation process. If
  the Hispanic consumer is large, chances are the
  transition will be slower than if the newly
  arrived immigrant lived in a predominantly Anglo
  neighborhood. In other words, high Hispanic
  population density tends to slow down the
  integration process

28
Translations in Hispanic Marketing

• It is very difficult for a translation to do
  justice to the original for the reason that the
  cultural elements in the original communication
  were not designed with the second culture in
  mind
• The issue is that they cannot do the job because
  the job is not one of translation but of cultural
  adaptation. It is the original message that
  counts, not the language code in which it is
  cast
• Many Hispanic consumers have indicated that many
  times they prefer to read materials in their
  poor English rather than reading a confusing
  and contrived translation

29
Translations

• Self Check
• Circulation
• Library
• Book Discussion Group

• Auto Servicio or Auto Registro
• Prestamo or salida
• Biblioteca or Libreria
• Club de Lectores or Circulo de Lectores

30
Transcreation

• An American Revolution
• Moving Forward
• Lets Build Something Together
• Stick Together

• Subete
• Avanza Confiado
• Juntos mejoramos su hogar
• Estamos Juntos

31
Hispanic Consumers Bilingual Materials

• Their household tends to contain individuals who
  are Spanish dominant, bilingual, and English
  dominant. Thus, a bilingual piece would serve
  the different levels of language proficiently and
  preferences in the household. This is a very
  important and symptomatic aspect of the U.S.
  Hispanic households. The marketer is seldom
  selling to an individual but rather to a
  household with different levels of language
  skills and preferences. Further, these consumers
  have large extended families with whom they share
  communications of interest. Thus, if they want
  to share with others, a bilingual piece is also
  useful.

32
Hispanic Consumers Bilingual Materials (cont)

• The ones who prefer Spanish express an interest
  in the English translation in order to learn the
  vocabulary in English, and the ones who prefer
  English tend to be interested in refreshing or
  learning Spanish, and those who are bilingual
  like the idea of comparing. A bilingual item,
  then, provides a learning experience and
• There is an overall distrust of translations.
  Thus having a bilingual communication helps the
  consumer make sure they have a way to verity that
  the translation the yare reading is adequate
• The temptation is to take a mechanical approach
  to the problems that is, to look at the
  difference between languages as a mater of words,
  and conclude that the use good translations will
  straighten out the whole confusing dilemma of how
  to address Hispanics

33
5 Steps in Reaching Spanish Speakers

• Justify entry into Spanish Speaking community
• Ensure that there is management and internal
  support
• Attend cultural awareness /diversity training
• Develop metrics and goals to succeed
• Build long term relationship with Spanish
  Speaking community

34
Individual Steps for Reaching Spanish Speakers

• RESET. Push the little button that will allow
  you to see them from a fresh new perspective.
  Avoid stereotypes and misinformation
• REVEAL. Introduce and encourage the use of
  library services from their cultural perspective
  by revealing the many great resources in a way
  that they might connect with.
• RESPECT. Dont see them as people in the
  background. Consider them, as you would treat
  business people.

35
Questions?
36
Salvador Avila

• Principal, M.A.S. Solutions
• 702.376.9570
• salvadoa_at_hotmail.com