# Spanish from Spain



## Diddy

Hi forum!!!

How you say?

Please translate this text *into/in* *Spanish from Spain.*

Please translate this text *into/in* *Mexican Spanish.*

I am not sure how to say when referring to different versions of Spanish language.

Thanks in advance for your advices,


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## bek249

Hi,
If I understand your question correctly:
there is no differentiation in every day speech between Spanish from Spain or Spanish from Mexico. You could say Mexican Spanish, but I would say in general most people don't distinguish between the two when talking about the language, and would instead simply say "Please translate this text into Spanish"


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## elroy

"Mexican Spanish" is perfect.

For the Spanish that is spoken in Spain, I would say either "Castillian Spanish," "Iberian Spanish," or "peninsular Spanish."


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## cuchuflete

Hello Diddy,

If you audience does not consist of people with some greater than average awareness,
they may not differentiate between Mexican Spanish and Iberian Spanish (sometimes called Peninsular Spanish).  If that's the case, then you would simply do as bek249 has suggested.

In a setting such as these forums it would be normal to use terms such as-
Mexican Spanish
Iberian/Peninsular Spanish
Argentine Spanish
Ecuadorian Spanish
etc.

You may wish to avoid "Castilian Spanish" because that is not appropriate to describe the Spanish spoken in all of Spain.


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## Diddy

cuchuflete said:


> Hello Diddy,
> 
> If you audience does not consist of people with some greater than average awareness,
> they may not differentiate between Mexican Spanish and Iberian Spanish (sometimes called Peninsular Spanish). If that's the case, then you would simply do as bek249 has suggested.
> 
> In a setting such as these forums it would be normal to use terms such as-
> Mexican Spanish
> Iberian/Peninsular Spanish
> Argentine Spanish
> Ecuadorian Spanish
> etc.
> 
> You may wish to avoid "Castilian Spanish" because that is not appropriate to describe the Spanish spoken in all of Spain.


 
Thanks, I understand, then: Spanish from Spain is a *totally wrong of saying*? I am asking this because I had my translation exam, and there is always something "tricky".   This time we got those kind of expression... then I wrote: Mexican Spanish (that was not difficult to guess) but... I wrote Spanish from Spain as I did not know the term Iberian/Peninsular Spanish that you are given me now.
Thanks a lot,


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## cuchuflete

Spanish from Spain is not totally wrong.  It might be properly used in some contexts.

For example, if you were writing for a readership that is unlikely to know terms such as
Iberian Spanish or Peninsular Spanish, you might say...


> The text needs to be translated into a number of variants/varieties of Spanish, including Guatemalan Spanish, Honduran Spanish, and Spanish from Spain.


I wouldn't use the term for a more educated audience, but it may have its place for those with less awareness of languages.


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## elroy

cuchuflete said:


> You may wish to avoid "Castilian Spanish" because that is not appropriate to describe the Spanish spoken in all of Spain.


 Nevertheless, it is commonly used that way, and that's how it would be understood in most contexts.  It's similar to the Spanish word _castellano_, which can be used to refer to the Spanish language in general.


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## Diddy

cuchuflete said:


> Spanish from Spain is not totally wrong. It might be properly used in some contexts.
> 
> For example, if you were writing for a readership that is unlikely to know terms such as
> Iberian Spanish or Peninsular Spanish, you might say...
> I wouldn't use the term for a more educated audience, but it may have its place for those with less awareness of languages.


 
Thanks a lot cuchuflete!!! I now have this matter very clear!!!  Something new I have learnt today...
Regards,


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## ewie

If the part about Mexican Spanish came first, I wouldn't have any trouble with:
_Translate into Mexican Spanish and Spanish Spanish ..._
After all, we say 'British English' and 'American English' all the time ... it just so *happens* with Spain that the national adjective and the language name are the same word.

ALSO: I wouldn't have much trouble with:
_Translate into Mexican Spanish and Castilian_
where 'Castilian' means the *standard language* or *lingua franca dialect* of Spain.


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## nzfauna

I would say "into Spain Spanish" or "*Continental* Spanish" [note the capital C].

For Mexico, I would say "into Mexican/Mexico Spanish".


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## Rivendell

But I'm just wondering: what's so wrong with 'Spanish _from Spain'_?? As Ewie said, the correct term would be _'Spanish Spanish'_ which sounds weird because the adjective and the language are the same word. Then, why can't we say _'Spanish from Spain'_ to make it more clear??

I guess we have the same problem with Canadian French or French French / French from France...


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## domangelo

There's nothing wrong with "Spanish from Spain," it is simply inelegant. It sounds like "English from England" and "Portuguese from Portugal." The problem with using "Castilian" is that this term is also used by people elsewhere in the Spanish speaking world to mean the language in general. "Iberian Spanish" would be my choice. But having said that, the written language is quite standard wherever you are, and just as with English, the differences are mostly in the vocabulary.


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## elroy

domangelo said:


> The problem with using "Castilian" is that this term is also used by people elsewhere in the Spanish speaking world to mean the language in general.


  If *Spanish* speakers use the *English* word this way, that is an incorrect usage and no reason to avoid using the word the way it is normally used in English.


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## liliput

The problem with the phrase "Spanish from Spain" is in the context of the sentence: I would expect "Please translate this into Spanish from..." to be followed by the name of another language rather than the name of the country (e.g. "Please translate this into Spanish from English"). As such, the structure feels clumsy. 

The Spanish term "Castellano" refers to the Spanish language in general and is used to distinguish it form the other languages spoken in Spain such as Catalan, Euskera, Gallego, etc. It's ambiguous to use the English translation "Castilian" to differentiate Spanish Spanish from South American Spanish as the term covers the form of the language spoken in the Americas too.

As you can see, I'm quite comfortable with saying "Spanish Spanish" but I like the term Iberian Spanish - it's clear and unambiguous (unlike "Continental Spanish").

By the way, the difference between the Spanish spoken in different parts of the world can be extremely significant and it is important to differentiate. To give one extreme example, a phrase meaning "to take a taxi" in one part of the world means "to fuck a taxi" in another.


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## elroy

liliput said:


> It's ambiguous to use the English translation "Castilian" to differentiate Spanish Spanish from South American Spanish as the term covers the form of the language spoken in the Americas too.


 Not in English!

I've just consulted several dictionaries and they all agree with me.

*In English*, "Castilian" can be used to refer either to the *dialect* of Spanish spoken in Castile (in central Spain), or to the *standard language* spoken and used in Spain, which is based on the Castilian dialect.  It is not used to refer to the form of the language spoken in the Americas.


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## ewie

Well said, Elroy.  The question is about the English word _Castilian_ ~ *not* the Spanish word _castellano_.


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## liliput

elroy said:


> Not in English!
> 
> I've just consulted several dictionaries and they all agree with me.
> 
> *In English*, "Castilian" can be used to refer either to the *dialect* of Spanish spoken in Castile (in central Spain), or to the *standard language* spoken and used in Spain, which is based on the Castilian dialect. It is not used to refer to the form of the language spoken in the Americas.


 
I beg to differ.

Some dictionaries simply define _Castilian_ as "standard literary and spoken Spanish", and others "the standard official and literary language of Spain". Neither of these definitions _excludes_ American Spanish. The official language of other Spanish speaking countries is the same language as the official language of Spain even though there are clearly some important differences in everyday usage. To use "Castilian" to differentiate Spanish Spanish from Mexican Spanish would be equivalent to using "English" to differentiate British English from American English. It _would be_, except for the fact that "Castilian" referring to the language primarily exists as a noun. The adjective usually means "of or pertaining to Castille".


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## JamesM

That may be true, lilliput, but I can say that my personal experience, living in the Americas,  that people use "Castilian" to mean Spanish from Spain _as opposed to_ Spanish from the Americas, including hispanic people whose first language is Spanish, as in: "I am from Mexico. I speak Mexican Spanish, not Castilian."



> To use "Castilian" to differentiate Spanish Spanish from Mexican Spanish would be equivalent to using "English" to differentiate British English from American English


 
I disagree.  It would be closer "I speak British" rather than "I speak English."


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## liliput

JamesM said:


> That may be true, lilliput, but I can say that my personal experience, living in the Americas,  that people use "Castilian" to mean Spanish from Spain _as opposed to_ Spanish from the Americas, including hispanic people whose first language is Spanish, as in: "I am from Mexico. I speak Mexican Spanish, not Castilian."


 
In which case, it may be another BE/AE difference. I think the term is ambiguous for Europeans.


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## domangelo

liliput said:


> I beg to differ.
> 
> Some dictionaries simply define _Castilian_ as "standard literary and spoken Spanish", and others "the standard official and literary language of Spain". Neither of these definitions _excludes_ American Spanish. The official language of other Spanish speaking countries is the same language as the official language of Spain even though there are clearly some important differences in everyday usage. To use "Castilian" to differentiate Spanish Spanish from Mexican Spanish would be equivalent to using "English" to differentiate British English from American English. It _would be_, except for the fact that "Castilian" referring to the language primarily exists as a noun. The adjective usually means "of or pertaining to Castille".



Well said, liliput. I agree with this 100 per cent. English language dictionaries are not the place to look for the essential meaning of the word castilian/castellano. The meanings they give will be generalized and devoid of cultural nuance.


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## domangelo

JamesM said:


> I disagree.  It would be closer "I speak British" rather than "I speak English."



No, actually, lilput's analogy is quite accurate. English refers to the language, in its standard international form, just as Castilian refers to the Spanish language in its standard international form.


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## liliput

JamesM said:


> I disagree. It would be closer "I speak British" rather than "I speak English."


 
Not at all:
Castilian is one of several languages spoken in Spain and it is also spoken on the other side of the Atlantic.
English is one of several languages spoken in Britain and it is also spoken on the other side of the Atlantic.
"British" is not a language.


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## domangelo

JamesM said:


> That may be true, lilliput, but I can say that my personal experience, living in the Americas,  that people use "Castilian" to mean Spanish from Spain _as opposed to_ Spanish from the Americas, including hispanic people whose first language is Spanish, as in: "I am from Mexico. I speak Mexican Spanish, not Castilian."



The term Castilian is a highly politicized term. You can find endless discussion about what it means in different Spanish speaking countries, just look on the Spanish forums. You will have one experience in Mexico, but quite a different one in the Dominican Republic or in Argentina.


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## elroy

I only referred to dictionaries to see if there was some unusual usage I was not aware of.  I did not see one entry referring to the language in general; they all referred specifically to Spain (or Castile).

And if we're going to talk about "cultural nuance," usage - at least in American English - dictates that "Castilian" refers to Iberian Spanish.  And what's more, dictionaries back that up.

Liliput seems to suggest that in Britian "Castilian" can be used as a synonym of "Spanish" (referring to the language), but I have yet to see an authoritative source confirming that or a significant number of British people agreeing with that statement.


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## ewie

domangelo said:


> The term Castilian is a highly politicized term


Again, *not in English* it isn't.


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## Loob

My (BrE) view accords with elroy's.


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## Odri

I don't agree with you too, liliput
 
You said: "Some dictionaries simply define _Castilian_ as "standard literary and spoken Spanish", and others "the standard official and literary language of Spain". Neither of these definitions _excludes_ American Spanish. The official language of other Spanish speaking countries is the same language as the official language of Spain..."
 
I'm Spanish, from Spain, and I can tell you that, despite all that dictionaries say that American Spanish is not excluded, it is. 
_Castellano_ was the word used in Spain for the language we spoke before discovering America. So, it belongs only to Spain.
Up to now, I think the best term is Iberian Spanish.
And how about Spaniard Spanish?
As far as I know, Spaniard means Spanish from Europe, isn't it?
What's more, if you differenciate American English from British English it's fair to make differences between South American/ Mexican...(whatever) Spanish and """Spanish fron Spain""".


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## ewie

I _still_ don't understand folk's objections to _Spanish Spanish_ ... grumble mutter grumble


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## domangelo

Odri said:


> I don't agree with you too, liliput
> 
> You said: "Some dictionaries simply define _Castilian_ as "standard literary and spoken Spanish", and others "the standard official and literary language of Spain". Neither of these definitions _excludes_ American Spanish. The official language of other Spanish speaking countries is the same language as the official language of Spain..."
> 
> I'm Spanish, from Spain, and I can tell you that, despite all that dictionaries say that American Spanish is not excluded, it is.
> _Castellano_ was the word used in Spain for the language we spoke before discovering America. So, it belongs only to Spain.



Okay, are you prepared to tell the Argentines and the Chileans that they don't speak Castilian? Good luck.


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## Odri

I don't know, Ewie, they said that sounds strange....., but for me it could be ok.

I'm just wondering...... How do you call "French from France" (in opposition to Canadian French,for instance)?


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## Odri

About that, domangelo. I think we (from Spain and from South America, etc.) all speak Spanish but if  they want to speak "castilian" for me it's ok too.


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## JamesM

ewie said:


> I _still_ don't understand folk's objections to _Spanish Spanish_ ... grumble mutter grumble


 
It sounds a little like a stutter.   To me, any of them sound a little like something a child would say:  French French, German German, Spanish Spanish, English English.


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## ewie

JamesM said:


> It sounds a little like a stutter.  To me, any of them sound a little like something a child would say: French French, German German, Spanish Spanish, English English.


Those all sound fine to me ... but then I _am_ only 43 4 3.


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## Nikola

In much of the English speaking world Castilian as a noun and adjective refers to Spanish as spoken in Spain. I have heard language enthusiasts, professionals and amateurs speak of this use as a misnomer due to the use of castellano as a synonym of Spanish in some countries. Iberian Spanish is the least ambiguous choice.Spanish Spanish is correct but sounds odd.


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## liliput

Spanish Spanish would be fine in an informal situation but for something more formal or more universal I think Iberian Spanish is the least problematical - most seem to agree that it's clear and unambiguous.

The same cannot be said for Castilian Spanish. If you really wanted to use Castilian, Spanish Castilian would make more sense than Castilian Spanish.



Odri said:


> I don't know, Ewie, they said that sounds strange....., but for me it could be ok.
> 
> I'm just wondering...... How do you call "French from France" (in opposition to Canadian French,for instance)?


 
This is an interesting question. I've never known anyone to differentiate between Canadian French and French French, only French Canadian people from English-speaking Canadians. French language and History aren't my subjects, but I suspect that Spanish has been in the Americas longer than French. Perhaps the French language hasn't been there long enough to evolve any significant differences from French French, or perhaps it hasn't changed much for other reasons. Does anyone know?


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## Loob

liliput said:


> If you really wanted to use Castilian, Spanish Castilian would make more sense than Castilian Spanish.


Does that mean you would say "Mexican Castilian"?



> I've never known anyone to differentiate between Canadian French and French French


The distinction is made frequently.


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## Odri

I think that this whole issue about Spanish/Castilian... it's very complicated. It's not only about Grammar or Cultural things, it's more about politics, history... :s  
It's tough and it could bother many people, so I think it's better not to mess more things up. 
So, answering Diddy's request I think that , more or less, all agree in *Iberian Spanish*, isn't it?
By the way, It just cross my mind... If we say American English and British English, what do you think about American Spanish and European Spanish? (it's just a proposal, ok?) (and yeah, I know then it could be also European English, but...).
The last thing. What about my previous proposal: Spaniard Spanish?

MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR


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## Loob

Odri said:


> So, answering Diddy's request I think that , more or less, all agree in *Iberian Spanish*, isn't it?


Yes, I think no-one has a problem with Iberian Spanish 



> What about my previous proposal: Spaniard Spanish?


That wouldn't work, I'm afraid, because we use Spaniard only for a Spanish _person._



> MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR


Hear, hear!


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## liliput

> Does that mean you would say "Mexican Castilian"?


 
No, but then I wouldn't really say Spanish Castilian either. If I did, then I would also say Mexican Castilian for the sake of consistency. My preference is for Spanish Spanish or Iberian Spanish and American Spanish.



> The distinction [between French French and Canadian French] is made frequently.


 
As I said, I've never come across it. My comment was a request for more information. Is it distinguished in the way that I did it or in some other way? How different is Canadian French from French French?


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## cuchuflete

This thread is spreading to engulf the world with tangential topics.

Odri's description of the "whole issue" is accurate among native Spanish speakers, in
Spanish.  Spanish speakers have a natural tendency to carry it over into discussions in English, where it is generally not a point of contention.

The uncontentious terms have been identified by many in this thread:
Iberian Spanish
Peninsular Spanish
For an audience that is less aware of languages, but knows the names of different countries, _Spanish from Spain_ may be used for comparative purposes. 

_Spanish Spanish_ sounds clunky.  While it may be accurate, it is potentially confusing.
_Spaniard Spanish_ is not at all idiomatic. 
European Spanish is not inaccurate, but it is not used much.  Iberian and Peninsular Spanish are more specific, and are widely understood. American Spanish should be avoided in general, as it may be confusing to the listener or reader.  It may be unclear as to whether the adjective refers to a country or a continent or continents (that topic has been beat to death in many other threads...), and gives the mistaken impression that there is a single variety of Spanish in the hemisphere.


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## cuchuflete

liliput said:


> My comment was a request for more information. Is it distinguished in the way that I did it or in some other way? How different is Canadian French from French French?



Please open a new thread. 

Discussions of the nomenclature for French are pretty far from the topic of this thread.


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## liliput

Odri said:


> I think that this whole issue about Spanish/Castilian... it's very complicated. It's not only about Grammar or Cultural things, it's more about politics, history... :s
> It's tough and it could bother many people, so I think it's better not to mess more things up.
> So, answering Diddy's request I think that , more or less, all agree in *Iberian Spanish*, isn't it?
> By the way, It just cross my mind... If we say American English and British English, what do you think about American Spanish and European Spanish? (it's just a proposal, ok?) (and yeah, I know then it could be also European English, but...).
> The last thing. What about my previous proposal: Spaniard Spanish?
> 
> MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR


 
You're right. But even references to "Spanish" as a language can cause offence among the speakers of other languages within Spain, so a term like Iberian/European Spanish (yours is a good suggestion) could also stir up resentment. The most widely spoken language in Spain arose from the Castile region, which is why the name Castilian is sometimes used. It seems the term has also been taken up in the Americas to differentiate American Spanish from Spanish Spanish, leading to the problem we see before us.

As Loob says, "Spaniard" only refers to a person.

Increase the peace


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## liliput

cuchuflete said:


> Please open a new thread.
> 
> Discussions of the nomenclature for French are pretty far from the topic of this thread.


 
I'll be happy to do so regarding the relative differences between the dialects but surely the nomenclature question is relevant if it provides us with a model to apply to the Spanish question. We have already mentioned the ways in which AE and BE are differentiated.


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## Broccolicious

liliput said:


> The most widely spoken language in Spain arose from the Castile region, which is why the name Castilian is sometimes used.


 
To put in my two pesetas' worth: I also vote for Peninuslar Spanish. I would be very surprised if the majority of people in the UK could point to 'Castile' on a map. And without the airline, I think they would struggle with 'Iberia' too... but maybe I'm underestimating my fellow Brits!


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## cuchuflete

liliput said:


> I'll be happy to do so regarding the relative differences between the dialects but surely the nomenclature question is relevant *if it provides us with a model to apply to the Spanish question*. We have already mentioned the ways in which AE and BE are differentiated.


 I'm afraid that the naming treatment of one language may offer conflicting clues as to what to do with another language.  In AE, at least, the nomenclature is helter-skelter, and what is used to distinguish among varieties of one language may be different from the ways that dialects of another language are named.

Canadian French is rather obvious, standard and idiomatic.  We rarely say "French from Canada". There is more variety in the labeling of the European form.  You may hear both European French, and Parisian French, which is inaccurate for describing French as spoken throughout the European country. _French French_ is simply not used. I won't say it's totally unknown, but I can't recall hearing anyone say _French from France_. Do English speakers distinguish Swiss French from the language spoken in France?  I don't know. 

Portuguese?  Hmmm... Brazilian Portuguese is a common term.  I may have heard both _European Portuguese_, and _Portuguese from Portugal_.  The latter sounds awkward, although it's accurate.  Cape Verdean Portuguese may be used to distinguish that dialect from Portuguese from Mozambique.  As a generality in AE, we say Portuguese (naked, with no modifiers) for the European form, and Brazilian Portuguese for the variant spoken in the Americas.  _Iberian Portuguese_ would be accurate, but it isn't used much.  I've never heard the term _Peninsular Portuguese_.


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## Broccolicious

cuchuflete said:


> Do English speakers distinguish Swiss French from the language spoken in France? I don't know.


 
Yes, I think so - we certainly say 'Swiss German', and I'm pretty sure I've heard 'Swiss French'.


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## cuchuflete

Broccolicious said:


> Yes, I think so - we certainly say 'Swiss German', and I'm pretty sure I've heard 'Swiss French'.


 Thanks.  Good to know.
Do you think this gives us any insight into the original question?  



> Please translate this text *into/in* *Spanish from Spain.*
> 
> Please translate this text *into/in* *Mexican Spanish.*
> 
> I am not sure how to say when referring to different versions of Spanish language.


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## liliput

Broccolicious said:


> To put in my two pesetas' worth: I also vote for Peninuslar Spanish. I would be very surprised if the majority of people in the UK could point to 'Castile' on a map. And without the airline, I think they would struggle with 'Iberia' too... but maybe I'm underestimating my fellow Brits!


 
Do you think they'll know which peninsular it is? They have them in America too . 
I suspect anyone knows enough to translate into Spanish will understand the term Iberian. For a wider audience, I see nothing wrong with Spanish Spanish.


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## Odri

I'm Spanish, so unfortunatelly I don't master English. Therefore I apologise for all my grammar mistakes ( Odri's description of the "whole issue" is accurate among native Spanish speakers, in Spanish.) , and so on... 
I didn't know that Spaniard only refers to people, but well, that's one thing I've learn today, thanks! 
On the other hand, I didn't understand very well what Cuchuflete has said:
"Spanish speakers have a natural tendency to carry it over into discussions in English, where it is generally not a point of contention."
It didn't sound good to me...., but don't worry, I'll ask in a new thread


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## Broccolicious

cuchuflete said:


> Thanks. Good to know.
> Do you think this gives us any insight into the original question?


 
Sorry - was just answering your question!  But to expand on my original answer (although I'm not sure this will be worth any more than the original two pesetas!):

- Following the 'Swiss French' model, it would be 'Spanish Spanish'. But I agree that that sounds clumsy (apologies to Ewie et al), as does 'Spanish from Spain'. 
- I've never heard 'Continental Spanish' or 'European Spanish'. 
- I'm not convinced that 'Castilian Spanish' is accurate, politically sensitive or helpful (where is Castile? Do most people know?).
- My preference, and the terms I've heard most frequently, are 'Peninsular Spanish' or 'Iberian Spanish'.

I was once in a seminar where someone referred to 'South American Spanish vs _proper_ Spanish'... which was not appreciated!

Broc

PS I would always say 'translate *into*', not '*in*', as suggested in the original question.


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## Broccolicious

liliput said:


> Do you think they'll know which peninsular it is? They have them in America too .


 
Yes, that's always a concern..!


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## Xiroi

Everybody seems to be happy with "Peninsular/Iberian Spanish"... not me! That clearly excludes the Spanish spoken in the Balearic and the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla! See why we Spanish speakers can't ever agree on the proper name? 

European Spanish or even Spanish from Spain (yes, I know it doesn't sound quite right anyway) seem to be clear and include all varieties of Spanish on this side of the pond. Even though you can't really say the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla ARE in Europe, but they're part of Europe.


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## cuchuflete

Broccolicious said:


> Sorry - was just answering your question!


And together I think we've made the point that idiomatic English treats various languages differently.  There doesn't seem to be a single pattern that's applied to all languages.



> - Following the 'Swiss French' model, it would be 'Spanish Spanish'. But I agree that that sounds clumsy (apologies to Ewie et al), as does 'Spanish from Spain'.


  I agree.  It sounds clumsy.  "Spanish" is not unique, but it's in a special subset
of language names.  The word is a noun used to name the language.  It's an adjective
used to name the residents of a country.  That creates both ambiguity and a clunky sound when we use the same word—different part of speach—to modify itself.
French French may be accurate, but sounds just as silly to my ear as Spanish Spanish.
I'm not apt to get caught saying Italian Italian to distinguish the European variety from that spoken in New Jersey.


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## Rivendell

Xiroi said:


> Everybody seems to be happy with "Peninsular/Iberian Spanish"... not me! That clearly excludes the Spanish spoken in the Balearic and the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla! See why we Spanish speakers can't ever agree on the proper name?
> 
> European Spanish or even Spanish from Spain (yes, I know it doesn't sound quite right anyway) seem to be clear and include all varieties of Spanish on this side of the pond. Even though you can't really say the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla ARE in Europe, but they're part of Europe.


 

I couldn't agree more!!


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## Odri

Yeah, I also agree with Rivendell and Xiroi. I forget about the islands, sorry


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## liliput

Something worth noting here is that it's not very common to qualify the language of the country of origin. Terms like South-American Spanish, Swiss German, etc are common because it's important to make clear that it's different to the language spoken in the "homeland". If someone says "Spanish" I would generally assume they mean the form spoken in Spain unless they say otherwise, likewise for French and France, German and Germany, etc. 
In other words if I wanted Spanish as spoken in Spain I would ask for Spanish, and if I wanted Spanish as spoken in Mexico I would ask for Mexican or South-American Spanish. Of course, the emphasis may be different on the other side of the pond.


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## Diddy

Thanks to everyone for the time taken regarding my original question, I really enjoyed reading all different opinions!!! I have learnt a lot of things from this thread, including some geography!!!

Thanks cuchuflete for making a kind of summary in your post # 40. It was very helpful!!!
Thanks Broccolicious for clarifying my other doubt about the use of "*in* or *into"* after the word *translation.*

Regards,


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