Why Argentina is the Spanish Translation hub for Latin America

Argentina is the country of wine, tango, Maradona and meat. Unbeknownst to some, Argentina is also the Spanish translation hub for Latin America. Overall, South America is third in the world following Europe and North America for the number of translation associations and the numbers continue to rise in the region. With the global economic downturn, a number of companies looked to Latin America to try and ride the wave of one of the few regions in the world to be growing. As a result the need for English to Spanish translations has grown and by breaking down of borders, South American companies are looking to tap into the English speaking world positively influencing the Spanish to English translation market.

Argentina’s translation industry

The translation industry in Argentina has developed and grown in importance in recent times, showing signs of returning to the golden era of translation for the country between the 1940s and 1960s. Argentina not only has a large pool of professional translators, but the level of their education and training is also on the whole higher than the rest of the region. The large majority of translators in Argentina are graduates from one of the many Universities and institutions offering translation in the course of their studies as well as promoting areas and industries of specialization within the translation industry.

What makes Argentina the Spanish translation hub?

Lunfardo is the local slang found within Buenos Aires and sees a large influence of Italian words due to the great numbers that arrived to the shores of Argentina at the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries. The population of Argentina is a melting pot of Europeans, Chinese, North Americans and those coming in from neighbouring countries especially Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia. This combination of cultures and traditions has filtered down to translators who have inherited the gift of extending bridges between cultures. Through the work performed by countless immigrants that came to Argentina throughout the centuries and continue to do so today; the country has set itself apart as being a hub for Spanish translation.

It is not only Argentina’s solid reputation of high quality and professional translation services that has brought about this rise and success of Spanish translation in the country. As the relevance of the Spanish language continues to grow and being recognised as one of the most-spoken and influential languages in the world, Argentina has positioned herself as a popular country for Spanish translation. Spain was often regarded as the Spanish translation capital of the world; however the economic crash that has caused almost 30% of the Spanish population to be unemployed has further aided Argentina’s growth within this industry. With a weaker Argentine Peso exchange rate, Spain cannot compete with the rates and level of quality offered in Argentina. Many of Spain’s youth moved to Argentina when the economic downturn began to affect their home country and have since began making a living in Argentina, many furthering their careers in industries such as translation.

Where it all begins

Most foreign language students in Argentina attend classes twice a week over a four to five year period where they learn the specifics of phonetics, grammar and use of foreign languages. Consequently the university professors have the extra challenge of having students learning and polishing their foreign language in their translation classes. Alongside this they also need to integrate the different language pairs such as English to Spanish or French to Spanish in other classes.

This results in students having a purely linguistic focus and results in a high level of competence in translation. Graduates of translation courses based in Argentina often face no difficulties in finding jobs within Argentina and abroad. Due to the high level of their translation degrees, their education is highly valued in the US and Europe if they choose to go and work abroad. University educated Argentinian translators such as those graduating from the educational and University hub of Argentina in Cordoba ‘La Docta’ (The Learned One’), graduate as perfectly qualified and ready to meet the demands of the international translation market.

Even though geographically, authors or those businesses located throughout the United States and Europe may think that Spanish translation starts and ends in Spain; Argentina is otherwise proving that this is not the case. With the growth seen throughout the region, having your material translated in Argentina is not only economically advantageous but it also provides you and your business with a foot in the door to one of the most rapidly developing continents in the world. Due to its mix of European and regional cultures as well as its attractive prices, Argentina has begun to shake the branch holding Spain at the top of the Spanish translation industry.

Latin Link provides scientific translation services in Spanish, English and Portuguese targeted at the Latin America and the Brazil regions. Luke Sewell has worked in the translation industry for several years, in particular in the Latin America region.





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