One of our favorite organizations here in Nashville is Conexión Américas, a non-profit dedicated to the economic, social and civic integration of Latinos in Middle Tennessee.  They help thousands of families every year, educating them on how to buy a home, start a business or improve their English skills.

Conexión Américas is calling for nominations for the first annual "Orgullo Hispano" award which will recognize four Latinos who quietly but persistently make their community a better place to live.  The winners will have demonstrated passion and a strong commitment for what they do while inspiring others to get involved.

If you know of an unsung Hispanic hero, call Conexión Américas to learn how you can nominate them - 615.269.6900, or download the nomination form (there's only one question you have to answer) from their website: www.conexionamericas.org.

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Hispanics aged 50+ are more likely to research purchases online than non-Hispanics, according to the “Customer Focus Opiniones” study released this summer by Vertis Communications.   Older Hispanics also pay more attention to internet advertising, with 21% stating they had done so in the previous week  vs. 15% of non-Hispanics of the same age. 

TV has the most influence on buying decisions among Hispanics, followed by ad inserts and circulars.  Internet marketing is the third most influential medium.  The Vertis study reports that 42% of all Hispanics research products online before they buy.  Scott Marden, of Vertis Communications, says that “Hispanics are increasingly becoming more reliant on the internet and other forms of technologically advanced marketing” to find information on products they are interested in buying.

Who’s providing this information in Spanish?  Two of the country's biggest retailers aren't.   That’s right, visit the world’s largest retailer’s website and you will not find anything in Spanish.  Nada. 

If you do a search for “español” on the other site, 55 products come up, including “Madden 09 Football en español”.   The product description is in English.  If they sell the Spanish version of the game, why don’t they provide information on the product in Spanish as well?

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If you can get past the trite title, USA Today  ran an interesting article yesterday on translated movie names called Hollywood_Gets_Lost_in_Translation.   The article explains that while some translations are faithful to the originals ("Sex in the City" is called "Sexo en Nueva York" in Spanish, others are given different names to reflect local culture.  The TV show, "Get Smart", was called "Superagente 86" when it aired in Spain so the movie title was translated as "Superagente 86 de Película" (Superagent 86 the movie).

Other translations seem to come out of the blue:

• "Bull Durham" was translated as "Los Búfalos de Durham" ("The Buffaloes of Durham")
• "The Big Chill" is called "Reencuentro" ("Reencounter")
• "Some Like it Hot" became "Con Faldas y a lo Loco ("With Skirts and Wildly")
• "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was named "Atrapado y sin Salida" ("Caught Without an Exit")
• "Airplane" was translated to "Aterriza Como Puedas" (Land However You Can")

And, last but not least, "Lost in Translation" was called "Perdido en Tokio" in Latin America.

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LinkedIn has launched a Spanish version of their site.  The video announcement can be viewed at  blog.linkedin.com/blog/2008/07/linkedin-la-r-1.html.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has ordered city agencies to offer all services in the six most widely spoken languages in the city: Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Italian and French Creole.

“The fundamental basis of government is its interaction with its citizens,” the mayor said before signing the executive order at City Hall on Tuesday. “If people don’t know what we do, don’t know what they should do, what the law requires them to do, don’t know how to get services, all the money that we’re spending providing those services, providing those laws, is meaningless.”  www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/nyregion/23translate.html

According to the Mayor's Office, there are 1.8 million residents with limited proficiency in English.   

An article in the International Herald  Tribune  www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/23/america/NA-US-New-York-Languages.php noted that  "Never again will we have to ask our children and grandchildren to translate complicated government forms for us," said Yorelis Vidal, of Make the Road New York, an advocacy group.

Are your documents accessible to your employees and customers?  Or, are they being translated by nine year-olds?

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