Spanish-English translator; English-Spanish translator

Spanish and English - target languages in demand in the Swiss market

Target language Spanish – language variants

According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, there are approximately 314,000 people in Switzerland who speak Spanish as their main or second language, which corresponds to about 3.7% of the population (as of 2021). The Spanish-speaking community in Switzerland is diverse and people come from different countries and regions where Spanish is spoken. Most Spanish speakers in Switzerland are from Spain, followed by Spanish speakers from South and Central American countries such as Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. There are also smaller communities of Spanish speakers from other countries such as Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Venezuela. There are also Spanish-speaking immigrants from North African countries such as Morocco and Algeria.

Spain and Switzerland have important trade links. Switzerland exports mainly pharmaceutical products, machinery and precision instruments to Spain, while Spain exports mainly food, chemical products and machinery to Switzerland. Many Spanish companies are also present in Switzerland, particularly in the banking and financial sectors.

What are the varieties of Spanish?

It should be noted that the Spanish spoken in different regions and countries can be very different, and that people from different regions may have different accents, vocabularies and grammar. In Switzerland, however, Standard Spanish is generally used in formal and written contexts and speakers from different regions can communicate without any problems.

There are some differences between Spanish in Spain and Spanish in Latin America. The main ones are listed below:

• Vocabulary: Spanish and Latin American Spanish have some differences in vocabulary. For example, the word for ‘car’ in Spain is ‘coche’, whereas in Latin America it is ‘carro’ or ‘auto’. There are also differences in everyday words such as “computer” (“ordenador” in Spain, “computadora” in Latin America) and “potato” (“patata” in Spain, “papa” in Latin America).
• Pronunciation: There are differences in the pronunciation of some words between Spain and Latin America. For example, the sounds “c” and “z” are pronounced differently in Spain than in most Latin American countries.
• Grammar: There are some grammatical differences between Spanish in Spain and Spanish in Latin America. For example, the Spanish use of the second person plural is “vosotros”, whereas most Latin American countries use “ustedes”. There are also differences in the use of verbs and prepositions.
• Accent: The accent of Spanish in Spain and Latin America can be different, which can sometimes make it difficult for speakers from different regions to understand each other. However, when exposed to both accents, most Spanish speakers can understand the differences and get used to them over time.

We process your translation assignments according to your linguistic conventions in terms of terminology, style and language variants, e.g.:

• Spanish for Spain
• Spanish for Latin America, taking into account the different regional language nuances

Target language English – language variants

Switzerland is considered one of the world’s top 20 economies and is renowned for its international business orientation. English is the most widely spoken language in commerce and business worldwide. Along with Portuguese, Spanish, Serbian, Croatian and Albanian, English is one of the most widely spoken foreign languages in Switzerland. The English language therefore plays an important role in communication between private and public organisations in our country.

English is spoken by millions of people around the world as a native language and by many others as a second language. There are several main varieties of English, which differ in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

Some of the main varieties of English are:

• British English: spoken in the United Kingdom, with several regional variants such as Scottish English, Welsh English and Northern Irish English.
• American English: spoken in the United States, with several regional variants, including South American English, Midwestern American English and California English.
• Canadian English: Spoken in Canada, with some differences from British and American English.
• Australian English: spoken in Australia, with some differences from British English.
• New Zealand English: spoken in New Zealand, with some differences from British and Australian English.
• South African English: spoken in South Africa, with some differences from British English.
• Indian English: spoken in India, with some influences from Indian languages.
• Singaporean English: spoken in Singapore, with influences from both British English and the various languages of the country.
• Nigerian English: spoken in Nigeria, with influences from Nigerian languages and Pidgin English.

There are also varieties of English spoken in other regions, such as Jamaican English, which is spoken in Jamaica and has influences from African languages and Jamaican Creole. Within these main varieties, there are numerous dialects and accents of English, depending on the region and background of the speaker.

We ensure that your translation assignments and projects are carried out in accordance with your requirements, taking into account the spelling and idiosyncrasies of each language variant.

Professional and certified translations English-Spanish and Spanish-English

Since 2012, our Zurich-based translation agency has been working successfully with numerous Swiss and foreign companies and organisations in the field of Spanish-English and English-Spanish translations.

In these language combinations, we handle a wide range of formats and documents in a variety of subject areas, such as:

Certified translations

Certified translations are usually required for documents to be submitted to the authorities. These documents include various contracts (e.g. sale and purchase agreements, wills, marriage contracts, certificates, diplomas, birth certificates, expert reports, extracts from the commercial register, criminal records, driving licences, marriage certificates, divorce certificates and similar legal documents).

We have been providing certified (sworn) English-Spanish and Spanish-English translations for individuals and organisations for many years. Our sworn translation service also includes an apostille upon request.

We can also provide apostilles upon request. Our certified translation services, together with our personalised customer service, are consistently rated highly by numerous private and institutional clients.

Quality assurance and translation technology

We process all translation assignments and projects in accordance with the recognised industry standards for translation services (ISO 17100:2015 for translation services). For short-lived content, such as content produced for internal use only, simplified editing processes may be applied in consultation with you.

We use bespoke translation and terminology software (including machine translation tools) to manage your language data and ensure consistency of content. This enables us to handle a wide range of document formats.

If required, we can put together a team of translators specifically for your project. Our specialist translators and proofreaders are also continually evaluated to ensure the quality of all projects and to optimise processes.

Fast turnaround times and excellent value for money are guaranteed.

Other language services for the target languages Spanish and English

Our translation agency also offers other language services in the language combinations English-Spanish and Spanish-English.

Satisfied customers - Proven expertise

Renowned clients at home and abroad have relied on our expertise for many years to translate long and complex texts and content from Spanish into English and from English into Spanish.

We have long-standing relationships with:

• a Zurich-based financial institution of systemic importance to the Swiss financial centre,
• a leading Swiss transaction bank,
• a major pension fund service provider,
• a telecommunications provider,
• a well-established architectural firm with offices in Switzerland, Germany and Austria,
• a Swiss institution in the field of research funding,
• an international organisation in the field of environment and biodiversity,
• a non-profit organisation active throughout Switzerland,
• law firms and notaries’ offices,
• numerous offices of the cantonal and federal administration.