Category: Language

This Tide Commercial Shows Why it’s so Hard to be a Hispanic Millennial

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TideAbuela

If you thought Hispanic millennials were just like regular millennials, think again.

Hispanic millennials, according to a new series of Tide commercials, not only sit around doing nothing and play with their phones. They have the added burden of having to translate their Spanish-dominant grandmothers while they go on and on and on about how to take care of their whites. (And by ‘whites’ I’m talking about clothes and not “not-brown-people.”)

And this one…

All I can tell you right now is that the Tide abuela has a better command of Spanish than this other P&G abuela.

How do you Say ‘Appetizers’ in Cuban Spanish?

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Based on my most recent trip to the island  -where I spent a couple of weeks doing absolutely nothing language research-  I realized Cubans are increasingly translating their restaurant menus, street signs and monument guides to cater to an ever-growing tourist industry.

One thing I couldn’t be 100% sure, though, is what the ‘Cuban’ word for appetizer was. While a paladar in Havana offered me a very limited variety of “incomings,” including 20 pieces of olives…

Incoming

… Melaíto, a snack bar in Pinar del Río promised a more extended list of “entrances,” including “boilet greens” and “French Fried.”

entrances

Either way, I’m not happy to report that everything pretty much sucked. Cuba is gorgeous and its people are simply the best. Its food… well, that’s another story.

Photos: Laura Martínez, Cuba 2013

Chinese Press Coins Awesome Spanish Translation for ‘Joint’

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Speaking of Cannabis and Cannabis-infused tortilla chips, the folks over at People’s Daily are doing a hell of a job updating their Spanish-language page, which is awesome because they have come up with the most hilarious -and accurate- Spanish translation for “joint.”

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CigarrosRisa

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Why didn’t I think of it before?

Hat tip: @blabbeando

Looking for a Place to Fix Your Latino Computer?

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Photo: Laura Martínez/Silver Spring, MD

In an increasingly Latinoized USA, we have seen (and this blog has dutifully documented) the birth of the Hispanic cheese; the deliciously weird tortilla-flavored chocolates; the Mexican Coca-Cola and even a Hispanic lettuce to go with your Hispanic tuna and your Hispanic mayonnaise.

So it was just a matter of time before small business owners jumped on the Latino wagon to create culturally-relevant businesses, like this computer store and Internet service outlet I spotted last weekend in Silver Spring, MD.

So, Here is what Happened Friday in NYC [en Español] ‘Tiroteos Kill 2 y Terminó 8’

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Call me crazy, but I think newspapers that use Google Translate to provide Hispanics with fresh, up-to-the-minute information are totally awesome. Otherwise, where would this blogger get her kicks?

Take the Hartford Courant, which in an effort to appeal to the budding Latino population in the area is now offering a Spanish-language version of its site, or rather, a “Spanish-language version” of its site, by using the Google Translate tool to make believe they care about their Latino readers.

I think Tiroteos Kill 2 y terminó 8 is a perfectly close to what actually happened this Friday outside the Empire State Building… Oh, and don’t get me started with the Manzana Samsung Veredicto.

 

Why this McDonald’s Billboard Would Never Work in Spanish

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As soon as I saw this billboard at my local bus stop, my bilingual brain immediately tried to come up with its Spanish translation.

After all, Harlem is ground zero for all things Hispanic, from lettuce and Mexican haircuts to linguistically correct tomatoes.

But I quickly realized that Te-laxante would not only fail to convey a sense of relaxation, but will make constipated Hispanics run for their nearest McD.

I’m sure McDonald’s creative agencies will come up with something, but just in case, this blogger would like to propose Te-relaja. Got it? Te relaja, as in “este-te-es-para-relajarte-no-para-hacerte-ir-al-baño.

This ‘App’ is so Mexican, it Spells ‘Menu’ With an ‘ñ’

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On the hunt for fake Mexican food? There’s an app for that!

Some genius in the applications world has come up with the Mexican Food app, which according to its creators will teach you the ingredients of every burrito and help you navigate to nearby taquerías. Because as everybody knows, Mexican food is all about burritos and tacos.

Judging from some screenshots available (I have better things to do with my $0,99) one can tell the creators of the app went the extra mile to make sure things were properly spelled in Spanish –or at least pretend to know how to spell words in make-believe Spanish, such as “meñu.”

Are you a Fan of Pleonasms and Redundancies? There’s an ‘App’ for that!

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I love it when creators go out of their way to find catchy names for their innovative products. Take Biblioteca de Libros [sic] an iTunes app that lets you download tons of -what else?- books!

This blogger just got a fantastic idea for other ‘apps,’ which I will be submitting soon to Apple’s iTunes. Are you ready?

Vinoteca de vinos

Heladería de helados

Paletería de paletas

Zapatería de zapatos

Pollería de pollos

Should We Be Called ‘Hispano Latinos’? Univision [And Myself] Really Want to Know

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I don’t always watch TV on Sunday, but when I do, I watch Al Punto…

Yeah, yeah, this phrase just sounded like a Dos Equis commercial, but it isn’t. I did watch this morning and, among other very relevant information (i.e. that Quadri thinks he can become Mexico’s next president and he likes pot,) I learned that Texas has put forward a proposal to change the name to describe Hispanics in the U.S.

So basically, from what I could gather, some fellows in Texas think we should not be called Hispanics or Latinos anymore, but we should be known as Hispano-Latinos.

I think these guys have a lot of time in their hands, but just in case, I am going to watch Capusotto over and over again to make sure I get my Latino-ness in check.

Hat tip: José Simián