Universal or Neutral Spanish
By Susan Ng, Senior Member Long Island Chapter and ITC SIG
Susan provided this summary of a discussion on the ITC SIG email list on August 8. 2006. It is published here by permission of the author.
In close to 15 responses, the overwhelming majority of list members suggested having the translations done in Universal Spanish, that is, a form of Latin American Spanish that has been genericized to accommodate the variations in the language spoken in that part of the world.
Universal or Neutral Spanish is widely accepted throughout Latin America and in Spain. However, Latin American audiences tend to take offense at having to read material in Iberian Spanish.
A few other list members suggested translating into both Universal Spanish and Iberian Spanish. In their experience, the additional cost is minor and worth it.
It was strongly recommended that I price a number of different translation houses, see if they have experience in our industry or similar mones, find out if they have native speaker translators, and determine if they can meet any other specific needs we may have.
I also located this article which explains that Neutal Spanish is not a language but a process for translation that involves using the terms best understood and accepted in the target country or region.