Category: Language

Mayor De Blasio Appoints Dora the Explorer Ambassador to NYC… Because Nueva York

~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ Leave a comment
¡Bienvenidos a Nueva York!
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed a cartoon character as the city’s official ’embajadora

Remember when Dora the Explorer was on her way to become Dora the Stripper?

Well, worry no more. The adorable bilingual heroine Dora the Explorer has been appointed New York City’s “family ambassador,” as part of a new tourism campaign in both English and Spanish. (I guess she’ll be keeping her innocent looks for a while longer. No cleavage and miniskirts, OK, Dora?)

Per an agreement between NYC & Company and Nickelodeon, families will be encouraged by Dora the Explorer to travel around the city’s family-friendly attractions. And this is how Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the whole thing:

“From the Staten Island Ferry and Times Square to the amazing diversity of Queens, the views from the Brooklyn Bridge Park and the wonderful Bronx Zoo, it’s no surprise New York City has become a favorite family destination […] I’m very excited to have Dora as our official embajadora to show families from across the globe the countless recreational and cultural riches of the five boroughs.”

I hope Dora’s Spanish will be a little better than that of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

TBN Launches Hispanic TV Network Called -What Else?- Salsa

~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ Leave a comment

TBN Salsa is 'geared toward next generation Hispanics who may not be fluent in Spanish but apparently love salsa.

Religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network on June will launch an English-language channel targeting what it called “next-generation” Latinos, which apparently are religious, prefer to speak English and — of course — love to dance and eat salsa.

Per a company press release:

TBN Salsa is ‘geared toward next generation Hispanics who may not be fluent in Spanish. […] It will initially debut in 38 major broadcast markets across America, including Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle, and Phoenix.

And that’s just awesome because everybody knows that Hispanics, regardless their religion and language preference, simply love salsa: This one… and this one too!

No, Google, Kermit the Frog is not ‘Kermit la Rana’ in Spanish

~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ Leave a comment
OK, Google. Let's try this again
OK, Google. Let’s try this again

Kermit the Frog, the friendly frog that became so famous in TV shows such as The Muppets and Sesame Street is actually called “René” in Mexico and “Gustavo” in Spain. But I guess that’s just too much for an automated voice-recognition, translation program.

During a brief demonstration today of its voice search app, Google’s Senior Vicepresident Sundar Pachai, reached for his smartphone to ask Google — using his voice — on Google’s search app — “How do you say Kermit the Frog in Spanish?.

Google’s response “Kermit la Rana.”

Wait. What?!

As anybody who was not born in the United States, Kermit came to be known as René in Mexico and pretty much all Latin America, and Gustavo in Spain. And as far as this blogger can tell you, nobody in the Spanish-speaking world knows him (or her?) as Kermit.

Yet, I’ve found video footage of the poor thing (René/Hermit/Gustavo) trying to explain his identity problem.

WATCH

via: CNET en Español

New .LAT Domain Will Instill ‘Latin Identity’ to Your Website

~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ Leave a comment
Soy Latino punto Soy punto LAT... what?
Soy Latino punto Soy punto LAT… what?

Remember .SOY?

Google’s Latino-specific domain, crafted specifically with us — “The Latin people” — in mind will soon have (Latin) company.

The U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) has partnered with eCOM-LAC to launch yet another Latino-specific domain: .LAT, which according to its creators, is going to instill LATIN IDENTITY (yes, with bold and capital letters) to your Latino website targeting Latino people in this Latino world.

Keep in mind, though, that you must be a pretty wealthy LATINO, since the initial registration fee for a .LAT domain starts in “only” $75,000.

¡Ay caramba!

Hat tip: @Don_Marquito

 

 

 

H is for ‘Hispanics:’ Hillary Really Wants your [Hispanic] Vote

~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 1 Comment

CCei08ZWAAASEm-

Hillary Clinton, aka the wife of the non-inhaler former President of the United States, on Sunday formally announced her second run for the White House. But she did it in the most millennial fashion: through a digital blitz in English — and Spanish — portraying herself as a champion of everyday Americans.

“La Clinton” even posted her now archfamous tweet in a so-so Spanish, in which she claims she wants to be el defensor [SIC] and not “la defensora” of the American people.

I’m not sure if I need Hillary as my defensor or defensora for anything, but I’m pretty damn sure she’s way a better alternative than this guy and certainly this other one.

Awww, if only I could vote…

Via: CNET en Español

Hispanic Jeb Bush Is the Best Thing on Twitter Right Now

~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ Leave a comment

Unless you live under a rock, in a detention center in Guantánamo or in a place without access to Twitter (very unlikely), you would have heard by now that Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush once identified himself as Hispanic in a voter registration application.

50804272According to a Miami-Dade County document published Monday by The New York Times, Bush listed his race/ethnicity as “Hispanic,” in a 2009 voter-registration application, a fact that quickly spread over social media, giving way to some hilarious tweets, starting with Hispanic Jeb Bush himself.

The incident quickly gave way to the creation of the YebBush Twitter account, which promptly began interacting with this blogger.

I say we should cut this guy some slack. He speaks fluent Spanish. His wife, Columba (NOT Columbia) Bush, was born in Mexico and for two years in his 20s, he lived in Venezuela… Besides, his Spanish is WAY better than that of many “Hispanics” I know. I promise.

 

Gringos Might Have Cupcakes, but Mexicans Have ‘Cupcaky’

~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 1 Comment

Cupcaky

Awwww, Mexico!

Not content with inventing the Coc Nuts Coold the Apelbii’s and the Crossfit Taquería among many other binational wonders, Mexico is now introducing a new concept in sugary treats: The cupcaky, which I can only guess is a close relative to its gringo counterpart, the cupcake…

Oh, and I’m sure this thing is damn good, since it costs five times more than a conchita and three times more than a dona.

How can anybody not love Mexicans?

Photo via: Ricardo Trejo

This Church Claims God is Having Sexual Pleasure with you

~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ Leave a comment
Wait. What?
Wait. What?

No, the devil is not in the details; the devil is in the bad translations.

Take St. Ignatius, an Austin-based catholic parish, which — in an effort to lure more Hispanics — decided to translate its holy message into Spanish.

However, St. Ignatius’ publicists would have been well advised to know that “God Delights in you” shouldn’t be translated as God se goza contigo, which is Spanish for, ahem, ahem…  “God is having sexual pleasure with you.”

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a very uncomfortable proposition –and one that does not make me want to attend church any time soon.

hat tip: Le Chanclé