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Spanish for Legal Professionals
Basic Skills & Meeting the Spanish Speaker
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Introduction
—
Proficiency in speaking and writing in the
Spanish language is beneficial to a
practicing lawyer today.
—
Until you reach that level, ensuring clear
communication with the Spanish-speaker
is critical
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Objectives
• Client communication
• Understanding your client’s
needs
• Accessing and effectively using
interpreters
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Topics Covered:
— Pronunciation
Basics
— Greetings and Expressions
— Question Words
— Legal Terminology
— Cultural Comments
◦ Formal vs. Informal Forms of Address
◦ First and Last Names
◦ Non-verbal communication
— Effectively using an interpreter
— Resources & Wrap-up
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Pronunciation Basics
—
Words in Spanish are pronounced more
consistently the same, making it a more
phonetic language
◦ Once you learn the pronunciation, you can read and
pronounce almost any word.
—
The alphabet is similar to that of most
European languages; it contains 3 additional
letters than the English alphabet, for a total of
29. Two of those additional letters are
‘compound letters.’
ch ll ñ
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Pronunciation Basics – Vowels
—
The vowels – A, E, I, O, U – have
only one sound each.
◦ The Spanish "a" is pronounced like
the "a" in the word "father.“
– Listen to how short and crisp
the ‘a’ sounds in these words
– nada (‘nothing’ in English)
– mamá (‘mom’ in English)
– papá (‘dad’ in English)
– hasta (Spanish for ‘until’)
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Pronunciation Basics – Vowels
— The
vowel – E - is most often
pronounced like the “e" in the
word “Edward."
– bebé (‘baby’ in English)
– lentes (‘eyeglasses’ in English)
– leche (‘milk’ in English)
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Pronunciation Basics – Vowels
— The
vowel – I - is most often
pronounced like the "ee" in the
word "see," except that the sound
is shorter.
– idioma (‘language’ in English)
– tímido (‘timid’ in English)
– difícil (‘difficult’ in English)
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Pronunciation Basics – Vowels
— The vowel
– O - is most often
pronounced like the “o" in the
word “no," except that the sound
is shorter.
– loco (‘crazy’ in English)
– poco (‘little’ in English)
– ocho (‘eight’ in English)
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Pronunciation Basics – Vowels
— The vowel
– U - is most often
pronounced like the “ue" in
the word “due," except that
the sound is shorter.
– tú (‘you’ in English)
– mucho (‘much’ in English)
– música (‘music’ in English)
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
—
Many consonants in Spanish
are similar to those in
English. Those that are
distinctly different include:
– B, V, G, H, J, LL, N, Ñ, R,
RR, X, Z
Keep in mind:
Spanish
consonants are
generally
softer and
somewhat less
distinct than
their English
equivalents
(the most
notable
exceptions are
the r and rr).
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
B &V
– Pronounced exactly alike,
but differently depending on
their position in the word.
– Like the ‘b’ in ‘beach’ or a
soft ‘v’ when between
vowels.
– bueno (‘good’ in English)
– centavos (‘cents’ in English)
burro
B & V are of the fe w
letters th at ma y ca use
spe ll in g pr ob le ms for
nativ e s pe ake rs of
Spa ni sh.
Yo u ma y he ar “ b de
burr o” or “ v de v ac a,”
wh en s ee ki ng
clar ific atio n.
vaca
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
G /J
– G is pronounced much like
the English "g" in "go,"
although softer.
– When it precedes an i or e, it
is pronounced like the
Spanish j.
– gordo (‘fat’ in English)
– gigante (‘giant’ in English)
– garaje (‘garage’ in English)
– jurídico (‘legal’ in English)
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
H
– H is always silent.
– Be careful with cognates:
– vehículo (vehicle)
pronounced like vay-EE-koo-low
– Habana (Havana)
– Honduras
– prohibir (prohibit)
pronounced like pro-ee-BEER
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
LL
– Pronounced like
the "y" in
"yellow"
– ella (she)
– calle (street)
Regional pronunciation
variations exist:
•In Spain: ‘ll’ has the
sound of the "ll" in
"million.“
• In parts of Argentina,
‘ll’ has the "zh" sound
of "azure."
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
N
◦ Has the sound of the "n" in "nice.”
This
phenomenon
occurs in a
few English
words during
casual
speech:
"input," is
often
pronounced
"imput"
no
◦ If N is followed by an f, m, b, v, or p,
it approximates the sound of "m" in
"empathy.”
en vez de (instead of)
énfasis (emphasis)
Ñ
– Similar to the "ny" sound of
"canyon" or the "ni" sound of
señ or a (Mrs.)
"onion.”
hasta ma ñ an a
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
R, RR
– R and RR are formed by a flap of the
tongue against the roof of the mouth,
or a trill.
– The single R sound is used whenever
the single R appears in a word, except
when it's at the beginning of a word or
after an L, N or S, when the RR sound
is used.
–
Practice the word “primo” (cousin) by rapidly
saying “pdee-mo.”
–
Practice the RR sound by purring.
The si n gl e R
sou nd is us ed
wh en ev er the
sin gl e R a p pe ars
in a wor d, exc ept
wh en it' s at the
be gi nn in g of a
wor d or after a n L,
N or S, w he n th e
RR s ou nd is us ed.
burr o
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
X
– Varies in sound, depending on
the origin of the word.
– Often pronounced like the "x"
in "example" or "exit“
– Also may be pronounced like
the s or the Spanish j.
In words of
Mayan origin it
can even have
the English "sh"
sound.
Examples: éxito (success),
experiencia, México, Xela
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Pronunciation Basics – Consonants
Z
– Has the same sound as
does the c before an e or i.
Except in words of
foreign origin (such
as zigzaguear, to
zigzag), the z does
not appear before
before an e or an i; it
is replaced by a c
instead.
– In most of Latin America it
has an "s" sound;
– In most of Spain it has the
unvoiced "th" sound.
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Preparing for your meeting
Useful phrase:
¿Cómo se escribe ___?
How do you write___?
Remember:
• Engage in whatever small talk you
normally would with an English
speaker.
• Gain rapport with a greeting in
Spanish.
• Use respectful titles:
Señor, Señora, Señorita
Note t hat
qu esti ons st art
with an ups id edo wn m ark: ¿
Excl am atory
sent enc es start
with an ups id e
excl am ati on
po int:
¡
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Greetings and Expressions
(Los saludos y las expresiones)
Hola — Hello, hi
Buenos días —
Good day, good
morning
— Buenas tardes —
Good afternoon,
good evening
— Buenas noches —
Good night
—
—
It’s always polite
to smile and
shake hands.
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Greetings and Expressions
(Los saludos y las expresiones)
— Adelante
– Come in.
— Pase – Go ahead.
•Bienvenido(s) / Bienvenida(s)
Welcome
A word about AGREEMENT:
Adjectives chosen to describe
nouns must match in both
number and gender.
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Greetings and Expressions
(Los saludos y las expresiones)
—
¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo está?
—
Muy bien, gracias
—
Más o menos.
— How are you?
— Very well, thank you.
— Not too bad (literally, more or less).
— ¿ Y usted?
—
And you?
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Greetings and Expressions
(Los saludos y las expresiones)
¿Cómo te llamas? ¿Cómo se llama
usted? — What's your name?
— Me llamo (nombre).— My name is
(name).
— Mucho gusto. Encantado. (Encantada, if
you are female) — It's a pleasure to meet
you.
—
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Greetings and Expressions
(Los saludos y las expresiones)
— Por favor –
Please
— Muchas gracias – Thank you
very much
— De nada – You’re welcome
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Greetings and Expressions
(Los saludos y las expresiones)
¿Entiende usted? •Do you understand?
— No entiendo.
•I don’t understand.
—
—
¿Sabe?
•Do you know?
—
No sé.
•I don’t know.
—
Más despacio.
•More slowly.
—
¿Qué significa? •What does it mea n?
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Question Words
¿Quién? – Who?
— ¿Qué? – What?
— ¿Cómo? – How?
—
(Also, a polite ‘What?’- as
in “excuse me?”)
In addition to
the upsidedown mark, ¿,
interrogatory
words carry
written
accents.
¿Cuándo? – When?
— ¿Dónde? – Where
— ¿Por qué? – Why?
—
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Legal Terminology
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Lawyer/attorney = abogado
Defendant = demandado (civil)
acusado (criminal)
Judge = juez
Lawsuit or civil complaint = demanda
Plead guilty = declararse culpable
Plead not guilty = declararse inocente
Trial = juicio
Oath = juramento
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Cultural Comments:
—
—
—
Formal vs. Informal Forms of Address
First and Last Names
Non-verbal communication
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Formal vs. Informal Forms of Address
—
The familiar informal
"you" = tú in the singular
(vosotros in the plural)
—
The formal "you" =
usted in the singular;
ustedes in the plural
◦ Used with family, friends,
peers, children, animals or
by invitation
In general, you should use the formal forms unless
there's a reason to use the familiar form.
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First and Last Names
Hispanic surnames are a combination of the father’s first
surname and the mother’s first surname.
Example:
Father
Mother
Jorge Calderón Ramos Maria Rivera Ramírez
Child
Jose Calderón Rivera
After marriage, women often keep their original surnames,
so husbands and wives would have different last names –
Mr. Calderón and Mrs. Rivera – but the family name would
be Calderón Rivera.
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Non-verbal Communication
—
Prolonged, direct eye contact
can be viewed as disrespectful.
◦ When a person from a Latin
culture is being spoken to, they
may look away or down as a
sign of respect to the person
speaking, especially if that person
is significantly older than the
listener or is in a position of
authority over them,
In contr ast,
•Wester n
cultu res te n d
to see dir ect
eye to eye
cont act as
positive.
•Wester ner s
often a dv ise
chi ldr en to lo ok
a pe rso n i n the
eyes.
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Effectively using an interpreter
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Effectively Using an Interpreter
—
Interpreter vs. Translator – what’s the
difference?
◦ Different skills
◦ Written vs. oral
—
Modes of Interpreting
◦ Consecutive
◦ Simultaneous (equipment or whispered)
◦ Sight
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How to Work with an Interpreter
The role of the interpreter
— Making a personal connection
— Start by establishing guidelines
— Managing the conversation
—
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The Role of the Interpreter
Should
Should Not
…serve as a
conduit
…be a part of the
conversation
…interpret in
first person
…clarify what was said or
what was meant
…be impartial
…be left alone with your
client
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Make a Personal Connection
Greet people in English or Spanish
— Focus on the people you are talking to,
not the interpreter
— Be friendly and act as if the listener is
understanding you in English
—
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Start by Establishing Guidelines
Introduce the client and interpreter
— Explain that the interpreter will:
—
◦ Interpret everything that is said
◦ Interpret in 1 st person
◦ Will not carry on side conversations
—
Instruct the client to:
◦ Wait for the interpretation
◦ Speak only in one language
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Managing the Conversation
Speak one at a time
Make sure everything is interpreted
— Don’t ramble
— Don’t carry on side conversations
— Create a flow
—
—
◦ Short chunks = smooth conversation
◦ Rhythm
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Example of a regular introduction (Video)
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Chunking
Speak in complete thoughts
Speak clearly
— Do not rush
— Do not speak more loudly or as if talking
to a child
—
—
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Why is Chunking Important?
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Rhythm
The speaker and the interpreter will
develop a rhythm
— Do not interrupt the interpreter
— Do not rush the interpreter
—
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Example of Rhythm
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Pitfalls
— Using untrained interpreters
◦ Bilingual colleagues are not professional
interpreters
◦ Training, Talent & Practice
— Specialized Vocabulary
◦ Industry specific terms
◦ Acronyms
◦ If possible, give your interpreter a glossary of
industry terms in advance or a heads up about
the possible use of industry terms
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Remember…
—
—
Neutral interpreters allow for confidential
material to be shared and can more easily
navigate an adversarial conversation than, say, a
relative or friend.
Don’t ask children to do an adult’s job. This is an
unfair burden on the child.
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Resources, Questions & Wrap-up
—
How to access interpreters
◦ TFLI – TN Foreign Language Institute –
www.TFLI.org
◦ ATA – American Translators Association –
www.ATAnet.org
◦ TAPIT – TN Association of Professional
Interpreters and Translators – www.TAPIT.org
◦ AOC -- TN Administrative Office of the
Courts -- www.tncourts.gov
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Resources, Questions & Wrap-up
References and Resources
— Barron’s Spanish for Attorneys & Paralegals. William C.
Harvey, M.S. Barron’s Educational Services. 2009.
— Spanish for Lawyers website:
http://www.123teachme.com/learn_s panish/ lawyers
— “Language and Litigation: What judges and attorneys need
to know about interpreters in the legal process.” Judith
Kenigson Kristy. Proteus. Published by the National
Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators.
Volume XVIII, No. 4, pp: 3-4.
— http://www.speakyourlanguages.com/train ing/
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Thank you for taking the time
to learn how to better serve
your Spanish-speaking clients!
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