Consideration of Hispanic Terms in Spanish Translation

Hispanicisms in English refer to the phenomenon by which Spanish words, expressions and ways of speaking have been incorporated into the English language. We will begin by drawing up a list of the reasons that caused the influx of Hispanicisms in English. We will, then, examine the fields in which Hispanicisms most prevail. We will conclude by referring to some of the most common Hispanicisms in English.

Reasons that led to the introduction of Hispanicisms in English: Firstly, there is the need to refer to concepts that are unique to the Spanish or Hispanic tradition; Secondly, the military and political power that Spain enjoyed in the 16th and 17th centuries facilitated the spread of Spanish words; Thirdly, English-speaking settlers in the United States came into direct contact with Spanish speaking settlers or natives in areas such as Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado. This interaction had a great influence on the language of the people of those areas, particularly cowboys and gold-diggers. The latter were standard figures in the Hollywood repertoire, and through them innumerable Hispanicisms entered the speech of the American people in general; Fourthly, those lands in the south, which had formerly belonged to Mexico, were absorbed by the United States; Fifthly, the language of the successive waves of Spanish immigrants from Mexico, Cuba and the Caribbean islands continue to infiltrate English.

It is also important to note that while some of the Hispanicisms have entered English directly through Spanish, some of them have been indirectly borrowed from other languages like Arabic and the languages of the Native Americans in Latin America via Spanish. However, the occurrence of Hispanicisms in English is much more infrequent than that of Anglicisms in Spanish. There exists a second point of distinction. Anglicisms in Spanish are most noticeable in the fields of industry, technology and culture whereas Hispanicisms in English are most noticeable in the fields of food, traditions and folklore, in references to the sun and the summer, and to psychological traits. This has happened perhaps because these aspects of Hispanic society strike the foreigner as most alien and most unusual.

Siesta, fiesta, flamenco are some typically Spanish words. Rodeo, ranch, sombrero are some popular Spanish loans of cowboy words. Some Hispanicisms in English have a remarkable history, for example, the word ‘guerrilla´ which was first used by Napoleon to describe the Spanish method of warfare during the Peninsular War, or the term ‘fifth column´ whose Spanish equivalent, the ‘quinta columna´ was first used by a general during the Spanish Civil War to refer to his hidden supporters in Madrid. And countless place names in the United States from Florida to California flaunt the Hispanic legacy. We will conclude by naming two of the most famous, namely, San Francisco and Los Angeles.