Category: Language

Have fun. Have sex. Beware of HIV — and faulty marketing in Spanish

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Prep

It’s always great to see New York City spend money in communicating useful stuff to Spanish-speaking New Yorkers (there are tons of us, you know?) but it should be well advised to work a little more on their Spanish-language marketing copy.

Take the print ad above (seen at a my local bar in West Harlem) talking about the all too important PrEP, a daily pill also known as Truvada, that helps high-risk individuals lower their chances of getting infected with the HIV virus. While the overall message is kind of understood (I hope) the NYC Health Department might want to work on its Esté VIH E ITS Seguro copy, which last time I checked meant absolutely nothing.

That said, stay safe neoyorquinos: Have fun BUT, more importantly, remember to protect yourselves from HIV and bad Spanish.

Photo: Laura Martínez, Harlem

‘Better Caul Saul’ to Feature Mariachi Band Singing About Lawyers, Cojones and Avocados

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'Yo soy Saul; el amo y señor de los abogados, mis cojones son tan grandes como los avocados'
‘Yo soy Saul; el amo y señor de los abogados, mis cojones son tan grandes como los avocados’

Are you a fan of Better Caul Saul?

If so, you’d better get ready for Yo soy Saul, a catchy mariachi tune AMC has chosen to tease the upcoming Season 2 of the Breaking Bad spin-off.

Why a mariachi? Well, per Viewpoint Creative:

AMC was looking for a conceptual way to tease the second season of their critically acclaimed show, Better Call Saul. […] The spot needed to reflect the ‘crossroads’ theme, get returning fans excited, and create intrigue for those who hadn’t yet tuned in.

And, what better than a mariachi band singing about cojones, lawyers and avocados to do just that?

WATCH (below) and let me know what you think and/or if you need help understanding the lyrics.

Hat tip: @CableKent

Miss Colombia Loses Miss Universe Crown, Hilarity Ensues

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MissC

Sunday night Miss Colombia was crowned Miss Universe at the Miss Universe pageant for, like two seconds…. Turns out the crown was actually for Miss Philippines but host Steve Harvey read the cue card wrong, and then everything went to hell for la colombiana — and for Harvey himself.

Here are some of the first memes of the night (they keep coming so make sure to come back) and scroll down for a video of what went down Sunday night.

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WATCH:

 

Because the Colombia-Not-Columbia Blunder is so Passé…

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Well, at least it doesn't say 'Columbia.'
Well, at least it doesn’t say ‘Columbia.’
Having mastered the art of writing “Colombia” when it meant to write “Columbia,” The New York Times via The Associated Press has decided to move onto yet another Latin American-themed, Spanish-language mixup.

So, as I was saying: #ItsManuelNotManual*

Just like #ItsColombiaNotColumbia

Hat tip: @tropicarlitos

It’s a Hollywood Miracle! Chile’s 33 Rescued Miners Speak Fluent English

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We’re trapped; we’re poorly paid… but hey, we’re bilingual!’

In August 2010, 33 Chilean miners were trapped 700 meters underground and about 5 kilometers from a mine’s entrance in Copiapó, Chile, where they remained for an agonizing 69 days until the 33 of them were rescued, alive and almost all in good medical condition.

So far so good.

Enter Hollywood, a clueless Mexican director and an enthusiast crowd of subtitle-intolerant Americans. The result: The 33, a film directed by Patricia Riggen, a Mexican-born director whose dubious credentials include La misma luna, a movie I saw, so that you don’t have to.

I am not going to bother you with details behind The 33, simply because A) I have not seen it; B) I have no intention of doing so and C) I think there are many things you could do with those $13 instead (there are some killer happy hours out there.)

In addition, according to my sources, the trama takes place in English, because as we all know, the poorly-paid, poorly-educated mining workers of Copiapó are fluent in the language of Shakespeare, with heavy accents if you will (thus the presence of Antonio Banderas) but still…

Watch. Cringe. Do NOT repeat.

The 33 is opening nationwide Nov. 13 but you don’t have to see it. Do yourself a favor and READ THIS INSTEAD.

Google Translate Welcomes you to the ‘Clitoris Festival’

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Certainly NOT clitoris
Certainly NOT clitoris

Well, this was awkward.

Officials in the small Galician town of As Pontes wanted to invite Spanish-speakers to a festival celebrating one of its culinary traditions, the grelo or rapini (aka as broccoli rabe.)

But, since apparently nobody in the 11,000-town spoke any Spanish, festival organizers turned to Google Translate.

The result?

The town’s “Feria do grelo” or rapini festival – held every year with tastings and awards for the best grelos – became “Feria clítoris” in Spanish.

“The translated announcement read: The clitoris is one of the typical products of Galician cuisine. Since 1981 … the festival has made the clitoris one of the star products of its local gastronomy.”

 

 

Excuse me?

Wow. Who thought Galicia could be so much fun?

Via: The Guardian

Spanish-Dubbed Chinese Telenovelas Are Way Better than Regular Telenovelas

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EsposaValiente

This is a story of love, passion and betrayal, but its main protagonists do not boast names like Camila Valentina, or Eduardo Alberto Manuel.

Meet Xie An Zhen and Wen Rui Fan, the protagonists of Esposa valiente (Xi Li Ren Qi in Chinese, or The Fierce Wife) a nightly telenovela airing nightly on Spanish-language KJLA-TV channel 57 in Los Angeles.

The story might sound familiar to any drama lover: Xie An Zhen is happily married with one daughter until her husband cheats on her with her cousin, and “the ensuing divorce becomes a battle of love and wits.” But Esposa valiente is not your typical telenovela. It is, in fact, part of an initiative by the Taiwanese government to promote Taiwanese culture in the U.S.

“If we talk about politics every day, nobody will listen,” Steve Hsia, director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times. “If we can shorten the distance between Taiwan and other nations through culture, that’s helpful.”

I’m not sure if this thing is going to shorten the distance between Latinos and Taiwan, but the story looks juicy enough for this blogger to go get hooked. Oh, and the dubbing makes it particularly awesome!

Via: Los Angeles Times

Univision Series for ‘Billennials’ Is Mix of Comedy, Drama, Emojis and Plenty of Profanity

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TenemosQueHablar

In an ongoing effort to pursue millennials (aka good-for-nothings-who-are-obsessed-with-Snapchat) Univision today announced the launch of Tenemos que hablar, a Spanish-language web series that follows “the rocky, and often hilarious, long-distance relationship between 20-year-old Emilia and her boyfriend Bobi‎, who just moved from Mexico to Miami.”

Filmed in Mexico and Miami, the 12-episode series features “YouTube stars” Daniel Tovar and Ricardo Polanco, whom I’m sure are very well known in their respective households and among millennials and billennials (as Univision calls bilingual millennials.) The series will be available only on Univision.com and on Univision’s YouTube channel, because as everybody knows, millennials are a lazy, pathetic bunch that cannot afford cable and won’t watch TV anyway.

Besides, given the excess amount of expletives, I’m sure it will be a headache trying to air this thing to on broadcast television.

As for myself, I’m pretty sure I won’t be watching. After all, I’m on my way to becoming healthier, wealthier and — OF COURSE– wiser.

 

What’s His Face Likes Latinos, Leaves ‘Little’ Tips and Such

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What's His Face wants to be President of the U.S.
What’s His Face want’s to be U.S. President

I never thought I had to pay attention to the campaign of What’s His Face. But then he had to say something about my people (i.e. the Hispanics or — like Emilio Estefan would have you believe, ALL THE MEXICANS).

And what did he say, exactly? Well, according to the Los Angeles Times, in the words of What’s His Face himself:

“A lot of them do jobs that they’re willing to do and, uh, that’s why in the hotel you leave a little tip.”

I would have been happier if he said he leaves my people medium — or large — tips, but that’s OK. What he doesn’t know is that this Mexican has a HUGE TIP for him:

Keep Calm And Your Mouth Shut.

You are welcome

POTUS, FLOTUS and MOTUS Pay Tribute to Don Francisco

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ObamaDonFrancicso

Saturday, September 19, 2015 marked the last show ever for Sábado Gigante, the world’s longest running television variety series in history.

As part of the emotional farewell Saturday night, Barack Obama (aka POTUS) and wife Michelle (aka FLOTUS) came on board to wish Don Francisco all the best, saying he will be missed.

Not to be outdone, this blogger (also known as a Mexican of the United States or MOTUS,  would like to join FLOTUS and POTUS in wishing Mario all the best.

Seriously, what’s this blogger to do without you?