
In honor of National Ice Cream Month, celebrated in the US every year in July, we decided to look at the different names for ice cream in Spanish. "Helado" is used in many Spanish-speaking countries, but Mexicans call it "nieve", which can also mean "snow" in English. You'll hear people order "mantecados" on a hot day in Puerto Rico.
If you want your ice cream served in a cone, ask for a "barquillo" or "cono" in Mexico City. The word Spaniards use to order one, "cucurucho", is a fun word to say.
What, you ask, does this have to do with the business of translation? Word usage varies from country to country so a one- size-fits-all approach doesn't always work. We ask our clients where the translation will be used to make sure that the translator for that project is a native speaker of that country. Because if you look for a "mantecado" in Barcelona, you'll find a sweet similar to a shortbread cookie.