Dear Daily Kos: If You Are Going to Produce Content in Spanish, Get an Editor… Quick!

Oct 3, 2012
4:01 PM

Hey, we understand that the following story from The Daily Kos is an interesting one. Titled "My (formerly)Republican Mama got a call from a Romney Canvasser," the writer makes a case about how demographics are changing in Florida.

Our only biggest editorial criticism of the piece is this one: get a Spanish editor/copyeditor, please? The Spanish below contains so many typos and mistakes, you would think the Kos would hire people who can actually write in Spanish. Not to be harsh, but accents and correct spelling ("apoyar" instead of "apollar;" trust us, writing "apollar" is not something you want to be touting) go a long way in trying to craft your narrative in Spanish. Here is the excerpt from the piece, bad Spanish errors and all. How many mistakes in Spanish can you find?

"Buenas noches señora" the lady said. ("good evening mam")

"Yo la estoy llamamndo de la campaña de Mee RRongney" (I am calling you from the campaign of … and this is how it sounds and funny way to write for the obvious reason

(rr=roll the r) MEE RRONGNEY)

At that point mom says she stopped her cold and told her politely;

 "Con permiso señora, yo voy a votar para el presidente Barack Obama"

Excuse me mam, I am going to vote for prez Barack Obama)

Mom says the woman's voice got loud and frantic and she retorted

"Pero señora como puede ser eso? (But mam how can that be!?)

And then the Romney canvasser lady went into a tirade….

"Como puede ser que usted va apollar a Obama cuando el es la causa de la crisis economica, cuando el esta de acuerdo con el matrimonio de los gays, cuando el

esta de acuerdo con los abortos …no es usted Catolica?"

(How can you support Obama when he is the cause of the economic crises, when he is for gay marriage, when he is for abortion…are you not Catholic?" )

To which my mom beat her back with;

"El presidente esta haciendo un buen trabajo sin el apollo de el congreso y las cosas estan mejorando! Y yo si soy catolica, pero apollo a

las uniones de toda buena gente no importa su sexualidad, y nunca me e hecho un aborto, pero eso debe ser la decision de una mujer solamente"

(The president is doing a good job with no support of the congress and things are getting better! And yes I am Catholic, but I support unions of all good people regardless of their sexuality and I have never had an abortion but I believe it is soley a woman who should choose whether to have one.)

At that point, and this is the weird kicker and the reason I took the time out of my day to write this really; The Romney canvasser then said,

"Pero señora el señor RRONGNEY tiene una familia muy linda. Obama no. Obama tuvo un padre boracho y una madre que no lo queria!"

(but mam Mr RRONGNEY has a beautiful family. Obama doesn't. Obama had a father who was a drunk and a mother who did not love him!)

At this point mom says she wanted to say "horrores" (horrors)to the woman, but she characteristically kept her cool and dignity and replied

"Senora yo nunca escuche esa historia, pero si es verdad, hasta mas admiracion tengo para el Presidente por haber superado todo eso.  Ahora me despido, buenas noches, y arriba Obama"

(Mam I never heard that story, but if it is true, I have even more admiration for the President for rising above all that. Now I have to let you go, good night, and up with Obama!)

All I have to say is that I am very proud of my mom!