Recently I've noticed that people are saying "utilize" in cases where "use" would do just fine.  It drives me crazy, but I must be in the minority: a Google search of "how to utilize" returned more than 59 million results.  I'm trying to figure out why this started while I practice selective deafness.  My guess is that the people who use "utilize"  think they sound more intelligent, but it has the opposite effect on me.

Is there is a particular word or phrase that bothers you? Check out "'Equation', 'Gingerly' and Other Linguistic Pet Peeves" on NPR and please share your peeves in the comments section below.

"Hispanics aren't online." "We thought about having a Spanish version of our website but we don't think the ROI is there." "Hispanics won't buy online."

If you think these statements are correct, think again.  Latino consumers are more likely to use the internet to stay abreast of current events or look for a deal than general market consumers. According to the Hispanic Cyberstudy from AOL, they also trust product rating sites more.

Perhaps the most interesting finding is that acculturation does not equal technological savvy.  Spanish speakers are more likely to be early adopters of new technology than their English speaking cousins. 

March 2 is Read Across America Day, an event celebrated on Dr. Seuss's birthday to honor his ability to inspire young readers. The National Endowment for the Arts promotes programs in schools, libraries and community centers to encourage children to read. Locally, Tennessee Governor Bredesen read "The Little Engine that Could" to a pre-k class at Bellshire Elementary School this morning (no information on why "Green Eggs and Ham" didn't make the cut was available at press time).

Over 11 million copies of "The Cat in the Hat" have been sold and the book has been translated into 12 languages.   Imagine trying to recreate Dr. Seuss's wonderful rhymes in Hebrew, Spanish, French or German!

English speakers usually refer to it as the "at sign", but other languages are much more creative.  Many languages use the shape of the symbol as their inspiration: Czechs and Slovakians use zavináč (rollmop), Italians say chiocciola (snail), in Dutch it is an apenstaartje (monkey tail),  and it's a shtrudel in Hebrew.

Animal references are also popular. Polish speakers call it a malpa (monkey), the Greeks say παπάκ (duckling),  and the Taiwanese refer to it as a  hsiao lao shu (little mouse).  All are certainly more entertaining the official English typographic name which is "commercial at".

Image by Horia Varlan under Creative Commons license.

Savvy marketers know that giving their customers the option to receive the information they need in the language they prefer always makes sense. Companies that want to grow market share and increase revenue can reach out to online Hispanics with Spanish translations of their websites. Here's how to get it right from the start.

1. Always provide contact information so that your customers can call, write or email you with their questions and feedback in Spanish. This information should be visible on every page in Spanish.

2. Make sure that the hyperlinks on the Spanish pages lead to other pages in Spanish. Taking your customers to the English part of your site may cause them to abandon the site before they make a purchase.

3. Work with a professional translation company. Bilingual employees may not have the necessary writing skills to re-create your content in Spanish. Language service providers include proofreading as part of their translation services.
4. Remember to have forms, terms of service, and FAQs translated for your Spanish-speaking customers.

5. Include testimonials from Latino clients and employees. Word of mouth carries a lot of weight among Hispanics.

6. If visitors to your site can sign up for periodic emails or a newsletter, offer your Latino customers something for them. 

7. A Spanish translation will usually take up 20% to 25% more space than the original English text. If this extra copy won't fit in your page layouts, edit the original copy or try using a slightly smaller font.

8. The translation should be in neutral Spanish. Your business will benefit by reaching all Spanish speakers without offending any of them. Neutral Spanish avoids regional language variations and slang, and is easily understood by all U.S. Hispanics.