November 19, 2010

Great example of What Not to Do

By angeletteaviles

PART I

In late 2007, my company (along with my partner Evelyn Hale de Perez-Verdia) was hired by an elections office in Florida to inform Hispanic voters about the new voting method.  That year all counties in Florida had to switch from voting on a touch screen to a paper ballot where voters had to fill in “the bubble” and insert it into a scanner.  It was all about having a paper trail should Florida ever experience a recount like in 2000!

The Supervisor of Elections office obtained three firms to execute this public service announcement.  There was the lead/mainstream firm, another to reach out to the Black community, and then us.  The lead firm was responsible for drafting the overall message, look, and feel of the outreach campaign.  We were then responsible for adjusting materials to cater to the Hispanic community as well as determine targeted areas for face-to-face interaction.

Perhaps to save money the lead firm translated all the materials including public service announcements to be aired on television.  In English they prepared a 30-second spot with the Supervisor of Election (SOE), discussing the new changes in voting and to our surprise he did the same piece in Spanish.

The lead firm then delivered to us the Spanish tape to release to our media contacts.  Hello!!  We were not hired just to push materials to the networks or press; we were there to provide the creative support and advice to properly bring awareness to the Latino community.  This included recreating messages that would make sense to Spanish speakers…Transcreation.

Literal translation is effective only when Continue reading

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November 18, 2010

That’s what you call Hispanic Outreach?

By angeletteaviles

I laugh in agreement every time I see Lalo Alcaraz’s 2004 editorial cartoon depicting presidential candidates trying to communicate to Latino voters.  It is an image of Bush and Kerry standing behind a podium ready to debate while in the front is a female journalist who reports, “The candidates have learned Spanish in order to better explain what they will do for Latinos…” Both candidates say, “Nada,” which means ‘nothing.’

Why do so many people in the political arena assume that they best way to reach out to Hispanics is by trying to speak in Spanish or literally translating a message?  Or how about creating a Hispanic coalition and sending out a press release with names?  The corporate and commercial world gets it and avoids doing so.  If you think about it political campaigns are not so different than a marketing campaign when it comes to developing a communications strategy.

It’s common to see political campaigns promote party insiders with a fondness of politics, law, or with a political science degree versus someone with communications or target marketing experience.  It has become common practice for elected officials or campaigns to hire a Latino just because they are Hispanic assuming they can effectively communicate to the Latino community however their role is limited to translating or representing the campaign at events.  When this happens the word “token Hispanic” comes to mind.

Politics is just like the business community.  They are both trying to Continue reading

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November 15, 2010

Which Message is best for “I-4″ non-Cuban Hispanics?

By angeletteaviles

For those who are familiar with the growing Hispanic population along Florida’s I-4 corridor understand that it is predominantly non-Cuban Hispanics; mainly Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican, and many others from Central and South America.  Unlike Republican leaning Cuban-Americans from South Florida, Latinos from the I-4 corridor lean Democrat.

Now that you got the picture which radio/tv ad  below (which aired outside of Miami) do you think did a better job in connecting with Hispanics along the I-4 corridor?

John McCain’s

English Translation….

This is Roberto Martin Perez, Cuban political prisoner for 28 years.

The harsh reality is that millions of my fellow Cuban citizens are prisoners in their own country.  Despite this, our spirit remains resilient; and John McCain knows that Raul Castro is like his brother, a man that does almost anything to stay in power, violating the fundamental rights of Cubans.  Now, he allows them to use cell phones and computers, but at the same time, censors the right to speak.

While some support a dialogue with Raul Castro, John McCain believes we should support the courageous men and women who continue to stand up for freedom in Cuba.  Rather than resume relations with Raul Castro, John McCain wants first and foremost for all political prisoners to be released.  As someone who has survived the harsh conditions of the Vietnamese prisons, John McCain knows that freedom in Cuba won’t be achieved with concessions to dictatorships.

I’m John McCain and I approve this message.

Marco Rubio’s

English Translation

This is Marco Rubio.

My parents came to this great country and worked very hard. They made many sacrifices so I could live the American dream.  For that I will be eternally grateful.

“Unfortunately that dream is threatened by the actions of some politicians in Washington.  I’m Marco Rubio and I approve this message because I will work so that our children and grandchildren have the opportunity to live out their dreams.”

So which one??? The most appealing message was Continue reading

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November 15, 2010

Get Over the “Speak English Only” Mentality

By angeletteaviles

For just a couple minutes, put aside the thought that we are in America therefore we all must speak English or that English should be the official language of the United States.  Put aside the argument that election ballots must be provided only in English.  We need to consider and focus on how immigrants or newly sworn citizens receive and comprehend information in order to make an educated decision when it relates to elections and voting.

Currently election offices across the country are required by law (the Voting Rights Act) to provide ballots in Spanish in areas where there is a large Spanish-speaking population.  Make a note; it was the majority of Republicans who voted in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and then President George W. Bush extended the Act for an additional 25 years in 2006.  As long as Section 4 is included in the Act the position of “English should be the official language” should not be an excuse for not providing voter/candidate information in Spanish, or like previously mentioned, bilingual information.

How can we properly reach folks like my abuela (grandmother) who speak English very well with a beautiful accent yet is more comfortable to read and write in Spanish?  My abuela is someone who votes in every election, if not every four years, but has a hard time understanding certain American terminology like “pork barrel spending” when watching or reading the news.  She ends up having to ask me or others to further explain watch she heard on the television.  The reality is Continue reading

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November 11, 2010

The Case for Bilingual Materials

By angeletteaviles

If you read my previous post, it is evident that fluency in English increases generation by generation just like any other immigrant group, however we can’t deny that reaching out in Spanish is beneficial for multiple reasons.

Today it is also more socially acceptable to acculturate versus assimilate and the Latino culture is crossing over into American cuisine and music. There is also an emergence of the 3rd generation Hispanics wanting to get back to their roots and reacculturating themselves by learning to speak Spanish.  All of the sudden it is cool to be Latino.

Considering the various differences among Hispanics for the most part it is recommended to provide bilingual print materials.  Budget-wise, it is also cost-effective avoiding the need to create two separate pieces.  You also prevent disappointment should someone receive materials in Spanish but prefers to read in English.  Don’t forget “it’s cool to be Hispanic” and some will mark off  “Hispanic” on their voter registration card; this doesn’t automatically mean they speak Spanish.

However, the person who doesn’t speak Spanish may have someone in the household that does.  Due to large family units it is important to reach all potential members in the household.  Parents or grandparents can share these bilingual materials, as they may prefer Spanish while their children read English.

Bilingual materials also provides as an educational experience.  Many that are Spanish dominant have an interest in learning English and tend to use bilingual content in order to study and decipher the meaning of words.  Then you also have some that are reacculturating and using such materials to relearn Spanish.

Additionally, there is distrust in translations, thus bilingual collateral helps individuals verify what they are reading is accurate.  One way to overcome this obstacle is to stop translating and begin transcreating, which I will discuss in great detail sometime soon…therefore you will have to make an effort to continue to check in to this site!

Stay tuned…the next post, Get Over the “Speak English Only” Mentality, will is an extension of this post and why it is important to reach out to someone like my abuela (grandmother) who speaks English but is more comfortable reading and writing in Spanish.

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November 10, 2010

We Speak Spanish and are Monolithic?

By angeletteaviles

All right, let’s first admit this…Hispanics are not monolithic. Whew, we got that out of the way!  Thanks to the Census we are lumped into one category, however we will uncover differences by generation and county of origin as well as some cultural similarities, all of which should be considered when pitching a message to the Hispanic community.

So what does a Hispanic look like today in the United States?  Young, young, and young.  The average age of Latinos is 27 versus 36, the average age of the U.S. population.  One-third of all Hispanics are under the age of 18 versus one-fourth of the total U.S. population, thus driving the average age down.  Every month 50,000 Hispanics turn 18 (600,000 a year) and 92% of them are eligible to vote.

What do these preliminary statistics imply?  First of all, it looks like there are many Hispanic families with children in school.  No wonder numerous polls over the past decade indicates that Education is a number one concern and deciding factor for Hispanics.

So why aren’t Republicans sharing ideas and solutions that will help improve schools or taking credit for education reform that has helped shrink the achievement gap between Hispanics and non?  Conversations about solutions to issues that are near and dear to many Latinos sounds better than a photo-op having a café con leche or creating a Hispanic coalition or council.

If the borders were shut closed today and immigration was halted Hispanics will still continue to grow in large numbers tomorrow.  According to a 2003 Hispanic Pew report (table inserted) a significant portion of the Latino population will be from the 2nd and 3rd generation.

Don’t forget Hispanics also have a higher fertility rate than any other group.  Approximately 60 out of 1,000 Caucasian women give birth versus 100 Hispanic women.  Personally, I look around and notice my “gringo” friends having 1 child while I look at myself, and my Latina friends, and notice we have 2 or more children.  If there are no immediate alternative solutions to Social Security, Hispanics will ultimately become the United States’ anchor babies supporting a failed system and the baby boomer generation.

This new generational wave of young Latinos will also shape Continue reading

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November 10, 2010

Hispanic Republicans Yes but Republican Party No

By angeletteaviles

Written for: TheAmericano.com

Who could forget Senator Harry Reid’s rhetorical question, “how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican?” Well, since the midterm elections of 2010 Reid got his visual confirmation on many fronts especially within his home turf with his newly elected governor, Brian Sandoval.

Across the country other Hispanic Republicans marked their territories such as Senator-elect Marco Rubio (FL), 1st Latina Governor-elect Susana Martinez (NM), Congressmen-elect Bill Flores (TX) and Raul Labrador (ID). The list goes on if you include South Florida’s delegation and David Rivera who replaced Lincoln Diaz-Balart and the many other elected officials at state and local levels.

The racist accusations the Tea Party movement received is now “null and void.” How could these so called “teabaggers” be racist if they helped elect so many Hispanic Republicans as well as other minorities such as Nikki Haley and Tim Scott of South Carolina and Allen West in Florida?

It appears the one group that was most opinionated of many of these notable Hispanic Republican candidates were Hispanic themselves. According to Continue reading

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