Don't 'Es-stress' Over Spanglish.

As readers, booksellers and academics gather Wednesday onWorld Book Day to celebrate words and language, there is an interesting transatlantic tiff over the use of Spanglish - the mixing of English and Spanish often used among U.S. Latinos when they are hangiando (hanging) together.

In a tongue in cheek yet telling open letter to Spain's language arbiter, the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy), a group of professors, journalists, translators, editors and even Mexican actor Gael García Bernal recently denounced the Academy's plans to define Spanglish as a mode of speech that “deforms” elements of Spanish and English vocabulary and grammar. The definition will appear in an upcoming edition of the Academy's dictionary.

The letter signers, who do not see Spanglish as a deformation, wrote that the Academy showed a "pathetic incapacity" to take into account the benefits and the social and linguistic nuances inherent in Spanglish.

Spanglish is a reflection of how immigrants here in the U.S. have defined and then redefined their identities.

Many of the Spanglish 'defenders' who signed the letter live in the U.S, where these words have been used for generations. Words include la marketa (English word is market and Spanish is mercado) or la boila (boiler in Engish, caldera or calentador in Spanish).

The tension between language purists and those who look at the lighter side of language is nothing new. But for language experts like Ilan Stavans, a Jewish Mexican professor of Latin American and Latino culture at Amherst College, Spanglish is a reflection of how immigrants here in the U.S. have defined and then redefined their identities.

ALVARO BARRIENTOS / AP

A man looks at books during International Book Day, in Pamplona northern Spain on Wednesday, April 23, 2014.

“Spanish language in Spain, and in fact all over the Americas has been the product of a ‘mestizaje,’ a transformation, that has been enriched by the words of the aboriginal languages that have made it back to Spain,” said Stavans in a phone interview from his home in Massachusetts.

Spanish itself has added words from other languages. An example of this canoa (canoe) which came from the Arawak Indians in the Caribbean, Stavans added.

While some may see Spanglish as a deformed Frankenstein experiment, others say it is an example of how immigrants who live between two or more cultures try to conserve their values, even when they can’t avoid changing over time.

"Immigration is not a one way street… to a certain extent, immigrants never leave home, at least in their imagination and psyche, and particularly in the United States, where immigrants are enabled and ennobled with the idea of keeping their roots and stressing their [hyphenated] identity,” said Stavans.

Stavans is at work translating the ultimate Spanish-language novel into Spanglish four centuries after it was first published.

“In un placete de la Mancha of which nombre no quieroremembrearme,” begins the Spanglish translation of "Don Quixote," which will be published in 2015. For the first time, bilingual Latino readers will appreciate the mock adventures of the errant knight who tilted at windmills through a nuanced translation that reflects their hyphenated Spanish-English culture.

The Spanish-language masterpiece "Don Quixote" is being translated into Spanglish.

Next year will be the 400th anniversary of the second volume of "Don Quixote". Stavans will publish a cultural history about Cervantes’ masterpiece named "Quixote: The Many Lives and Implausible Adventures of the World’s Most Popular Novel" (Norton, 2015). He will also publish a comic book edition of "Don Quixote's" first chapter in 15 languages, including French, English, Hebrew, Chinese, and Klingon—the fictional extraterrestrial language from Star Trek. For him, language is a living, adaptable experience.

And for those who worry Spanglish is a threat to the purity of the Spanish language, the group who does not think Spanglish is a deformity would perhaps tell them to tey kirisi (take it easy) and avoid getting es-stressed, (stressed), two of Stavans' favorite terms.

No mas humos.

Mientras llegaba a casa después de un día largo de trabajo, pero más que largo, un día lleno de dudas, de pensamientos antiguos que sólo te llevan a sentirte frágil, pensamientos que te hacen sentir sin la corona. Decidí sentarme en el balcón y mirar el horizonte. Mientras observaba la grandeza del mundo, entró en mi cerebro un tema que lo he puesto en espera por mucho tiempo. La pregunta vino a mi mente veloz, con furia, con tristeza, sin compasión y con un vacío que sólo yo podría llenar.

 ¿Quien realmente soy y que busco, hacia donde voy y que espero de mi? Llegó el preciso momento de juzgarme. Que mejor momento que ahora, ahora que cumplo un año mas de estar vivo  en este mundo lleno de humos. Que mejor momento ahora que he pasado vivo mas de la mitad de mi vida. Ahora me toca mirarme al espejo y sin miedo hablarme, contarme, compartirme todo lo que se, todo lo que no he puedo expresar, todo mis miedos, y claro porque no también, todo lo bueno que hay en mi. La he pasado hablando conmigo más de lo que me esperaba y me he reído mucho. Me he contado muchas cosas, me he visto bien, me he visto con ojos maduros, con mente grande y me vuelto a poner de pie. 

Ahora que veo el horizonte otra vez, lo veo más grande. La vista no tiene limites. Arriba me siento.

El silencio es el mejor regalo que dios me dado, sin duda. Ahora que el silencio ha hablado, tengo la certeza que mi vida a cambiado. Que el muro de Berlín que tenía al frente lo he derrumbado en 2 minutos, y he logrado dar varios pasos adelante. Ahora recién después de tanto tiempo, me toca correr solo unas cuantas millas más y listo. El momento llegó, no más humos.

New York needs a Cesar Chavez

Editor's note: Kerry Kennedy is the president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and author of "Speak Truth To Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World" and "Being Catholic Now." She has worked on global human rights issues for more than 30 years and serves as Chair of the Amnesty International USA.

(CNN) -- Forty-six years ago this month, my father joined Cesar Chavez in Delano, California, to share the Eucharist and end Chavez's 1968 fast for farm workers' rights. It took another nine years, but the state of California would go on to answer Chavez's call for justice and pass its groundbreaking Agricultural Labor Relations Act.

Kerry Kennedy

That law surged California forward in the global labor movement, but New York never had a Cesar Chavez.

And so today -- in the state where my father served as senator and where I now live -- our farm workers suffer from the leftover Jim Crow laws that California addressed nearly half a century ago.

As a resident of New York State, I wanted to see the conditions for myself. So I drove a few hours north of my home to Liberty, New York, and visited the largest producer of fois gras east of the Mississippi.

If you think what farms do to the geese is bad, you should see how they treat the farm workers.

I met a man who worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week for 10 years without a single day off. He was paid minimum wage. And though he earned it, he could not claim overtime pay -- overtime that would be paid to any deli worker in New York City. If he tried to form a union, he could be fired.

I walked through one-room shacks that housed entire families and past queues that led to filthy bathrooms -- one toilet for every 20 workers. I met women sexually assaulted in the fields by supervisors in return for employment, and children doing backbreaking labor for $3.20 an hour.

The legacy of Jim Crow is alive today in New York, resulting in inexcusable conditions for people who plant our vegetables, pick our fruit and milk our cows. All this is legal in New York, the remnants of a bargain struck nationally with the Dixiecrats to exclude minority workers from New Deal federal fair labor laws.

Obama: Chavez sacrificed for his family

The Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act, passed by the State Assembly last year and languishing in the State Senate, is the first step to addressing some of these egregious violations of international human rights New York farm workers still face.

Morgan Spurlock as migrant farm worker

The bill is far from radical; it merely extends to farm workers the same labor protections nearly every other industry in America has enjoyed since the industrial era. But it would be revolutionary for the roughly 100,000 men, women, and children who give New York its daily bread.

The State Assembly has passed the bill several times; where it stalls is in the Senate, a body that has the votes to pass the bill into law, but where special interests have prevented it from coming to the floor for a vote.

We cannot allow partisan politics to condemn New York's farm workers to another year of misery and abuse. New York's legislature must bring the FFLPA to a vote in 2014.

And when it does, I hope the members of our State Senate will think of that day in 1968, when in front of a crowd of 6,000 farm workers, Robert Kennedy said:

"When your children and grandchildren take their place in America -- going to high school, and college and taking good jobs at good pay -- when you look at them, you will say, 'I did this. I was there at the point of difficulty and danger.'

"And though you may be old and bent from many years of labor, no man will stand taller than you when you say, 'I marched with Cesar.'"

All of us still have the opportunity to join the struggle today.

And if we do, one day when we are old and bent, we will to turn to our children and grandchildren and say, "I was there at the point of difficulty and danger. I marched with the New York Farmworkers." Si se puede!

Hispanics, internet and cell phones.

The Internet is how many Americans get their news and weather, or interact with friends and loved ones—and Hispanics are no different. While using a home computer is the most common method of accessing the Internet among Hispanics, it seems that the cell phone is rapidly gaining popularity. According to latest research from Mintel, a quarter (25%) of online Hispanics who often or occasionally access the Internet through a cell phone use it as their primary device for connecting to the Internet.

Hispanic women are leading this trend, 30% of online Latinas report that their cell phone is the primary device used, while one in five online Hispanic men say the cell phone is their primary device for connecting online. Meanwhile, 38% of Hispanics who often or occasionally use their cell to access the Internet use it to check activity on social networking sites.

“For many years, a ‘digital divide’ has been seen between Hispanics and the total US online population. Broadband access lags that of other multicultural groups, largely due to a lack of home internet access among lower-income, Spanish-dominant Hispanics,” says Leylha Ahuile, senior multicultural analyst at Mintel. “But that’s no longer the case—that divide is rapidly being shattered by smartphone usage.”

Whether connecting to the Internet from a home computer or cell phone, Hispanics often use their online time to stay in touch with loved ones across the globe. Thirty-three percent of online Hispanics use the Internet to stay connected with family and friends outside the US, while over a quarter (27%) use it to read news about their home country.

“The internet has become an important connector between family and friends for Hispanics of all age groups,” adds Leylha Ahuile. “It’s vital for news and information from the US and the nation of heritage for many Hispanics. Additionally, video conferencing services—such as Skype—are used more by Hispanics aged 45-54 than among those in younger age groups.”

Cupcake Digital creates Spanish Language Apps

Cupcake Digital is translating their existing roster of English language deluxe story apps into Spanish with today’s launch of “La Aventura de Wubbzy y Los Dinosaurios.” The company is giving parents high-quality apps that are designed to expose kids to Spanish by offering the option to switch language with a simple tap of a button. The new Spanish app is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and the Barnes & Noble NOOK Store(TM) for $1.99 to download and is free to upgrade for those who already own the English language version. “We have received a wonderful reception from parents who are so happy to have a bilingual option, and we look forward to offering even more of our popular story experiences to this growing market,” said Cupcake Digital Chairman Brad Powers. “These apps have given my own son a great tool for practicing Spanish with his bilingual mother, and we are so pleased to give parents who want to expose their children to the language something they will appreciate as much as we do.”

La Aventura de Wubbzy y Los Dinosaurios features:
– Fun mini-games within the story and added learning games for practice of number, letter and sight word recognition
– Professional narration of the same story in English and Spanish is a good introduction for initiating natural language acquisition
– Individually highlighted words in the app are designed specifically for teaching the basics of spelling and vocabulary and can be used to practice Spanish

By: Eddy Aguilar Saba

Pointlogic and Conill launch planning tools channel to power Hispanic market communications

Pointlogic USA and Conill today announced a multi-year agreement on a new media channel allocation tool based on Pointlogic’s Commspoint, its industry leading communications planning software. Commspoint Hispanic (Conill’s version is named Sherlock™) is the first known channel planning tool to target the rapidly growing Hispanic population in the U.S.

Commspoint Hispanic will give Pointlogic clients the opportunity to develop communication plans using appropriate acculturation levels within the U.S. Hispanic population. Users will be able to immediately determine if a specific media channel (e.g., mobile, television etc) will outshine another for a particular communication effort.

Conill’s Sherlock™ employs a unique algorithm to analyze a variety of data points, providing the best possible media engagement plan targeting Hispanic consumers. In all, the tool is able to provide placement advice to clients and brand planners across 58 distinct media channels, including 22 digital touchpoints. It was developed with insights from the agency’s brand and media planning and purchasing teams.

“As cultural curators, our media planning tools need to reveal the nuances between ethnic group media consumption and the impact distinct channels have on Hispanics in particular,” said Conill Chief Media Communications Officer Brett Dennis. “It’s undeniable that media has become intrinsically linked to creative development. Sherlock™ helps us bridge the gap between art and science, while making the channel planning process faster, smarter and more accountable for our clients.

Health Media Network Acquires National Marketing Rights to America’s Minority Health Networks, Launches Hispanic Health Network

Health Media Network (HMN), the fastest-growing digital point-of-care media company in the U.S., is launching its newest information and education network created specifically for Hispanic healthcare physicians and consumers.  The HMN Hispanic Network is supporting nearly 9,000 doctors reaching close to 4.5 million Hispanic consumers at the point they receive healthcare services.

In May, HMN acquired the exclusive national marketing and sales rights to America’s Minority Health Networks (AMHN). This deal included both Spanish language and African-American-focused medical information content and networks. As a result, the HMN Hispanic Network now supports 8,692 physicians delivering 4,321,505 impressions.

“At HMN we recognize that the Hispanic community has certain medical conditions and thus, specific health needs,” said Christopher Culver, president and CEO at HMN. “We are the first point-of-care information provider to address these needs across such a wide direct-to-consumer platform.”

The 2011 U.S. Census Bureau population estimate states that there are approximately 52 million Hispanics living in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hispanic health is often shaped by factors such as language/cultural barriers, lack of access to preventive care, and the lack of health insurance. Major causes of illness and death among Hispanics include heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.

HMN’s Hispanic Network facilitates conversations between doctors and patients at the care delivery site with a documented immediacy that drives specific patient actions and requests vital to healthy living. In national examination surveys, Hispanics are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanics to be diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. They have higher rates of end-stage renal disease caused by diabetes, and are 50 percent more likely to die from diabetes than non-Hispanics.

By Eddy Aguilar Saba