The Puerto Rican Senate has approved a bill declaring Spanish as the first official language of the country, relegating English to second position, the media reported on Friday.
[…]
In 1993, a law was passed recognising both Spanish and English official languages for the country.
Thursday’s bill proposes to establish Spanish as the first official language making its use compulsory in executive, legislative and judicial matters, and thus repeal Law 1-1993 which put both languages on an equal footing.
Read the full article in Business Standard News here: http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/puerto-rico-declares-spanish-as-official-language-115090400857_1.html
Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.
Share an article »
ProZ.com blog »
Chile
Local time: 13:21
Member (2005)
Spanish to English
So if Spanish is recognized as the official language of Puerto... See more
So if Spanish is recognized as the official language of Puerto Rico, this is a step in the right direction as it reinforces the Puerto Rican identity. When I read that Puerto Rico is a country in this article, I felt a bit strange. Country can mean many things, among them a region, such as the Basque Country, which of course is not a country in the sense of an independent nation, as it belongs to Spain.
However, I feel that in this context, the author meant "independent nation" when he/she said "official languages for the country". I think there are some people out there who actually believe that Puerto Rico is in fact a country in its own right. Then again, there are people who get Puerto Rico and Costa Rica confused. ▲ Collapse
Chile
Local time: 13:21
Spanish to English
+ ...
Not trying to get into politics here, on the contrary, but...
... the Basque Country, which of course is not a country in the sense of an independent nation, as it belongs to Spain. ... Then again, there are people who get Puerto Rico and Costa Rica confused. ...
Just as there are people who don't realise that a significant chunk of "the Basque Country" is in fact in France
[Edited at 2015-09-11 18:30 GMT]
Thailand
Local time: 00:21
English to Thai
+ ...
In my view, the status of Puerto Rico as a somewhat independent nation, at least in feeling, falls between the cracks. A former Spanish colony, it was taken over by the US in the Spanish-American war. It is now a Commonwealth of the United States, but its identity continues to be Latin American. You could argue that the Puerto Ricans who emigrated to the mainland are immigrants even though they are technically US citizens.
The U.S. already devotes to use and educate people with Spanish widely in many states. I do not feel that Puerto Rico as a nation should switch to another language, different from the language having been settled by the U.S. for centuries.
Soonthon L.
Colombia
Local time: 12:21
Spanish to English
+ ...
Congratulations are in order. I think it's a huge step of The Puerto Rican Senate to approve that bill.
Do I believe a language makes them more independent? No, I think not. I think they should move forward with multiple steps but I agree it's a great start. Hopefully they'll be as independant as they can (politically & financially).
To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:
You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »
This discussion can also be accessed via the ProZ.com forum pages.