In the field of linguistics, and of course translation, we commonly refer to languages as living organisms. This simile attempts to explain that, like any living organism, languages are a linguistic phenomenon that evolve constantly, since they develop from earlier linguistic systems, undergo continuous changes and shifts, and sometimes they become extinct. This is why many communities of speakers have realized the importance of taking an active role in preserving these languages, not only for there to be written evidence of their existence, behavior, and cultural worth, but also to create a record of the changes it has experienced. In this context, academies have been created throughout history that are dedicated to languages and have extensively studied the respective languages. They were also responsible for helping to unify a language. This latter concept, which may at first seem discriminatory, arose due to illiteracy and the lack of consensus within a language, since speakers lived across large expanses of territory and each language acquired its own characteristics. This led to a single language starting to show differences from region to region. At the same time, illiteracy meant that the language of the upper and lower classes mixed and a variety of linguistic forms appeared that caused confusion and bilingualism. It was for this reason that, in order to homogenize a single language and create common guidelines so that all speakers are able to communicate correctly throughout the territory, many communities of speakers created regulatory institutions that were responsible for establishing general language rules that could be transmitted to the entire community.
While the existence of these institutions unified the criteria, they did nothing to slow the evolution of languages that, when in contact with other languages and due to the realities of each era, changed and modified their lexicon and structures. This is why, today, these institutions that regulate the use of a language are not thought of as inflexible, but rather their work focuses on compiling current language rules, defining the components of this language, and taking note of the new forms that arise and making decisions on their correct inclusion (or not) into the standard language. In other words, it is understood that a language is a phenomenon that evolves throughout the history of its speakers, and these institutions aim to document this evolution and serve as a reference for people and entities interested in correctly expressing the standard, official, and widespread version of a language.
In this context, it is not difficult to understand the relationship between language institutions and language service professionals. One of the essential components of quality translations is that they use careful, accurate and correct language, otherwise a negative impression is created that may even entail negative consequences for interested clients.
This is why translators need to have access to resources that they can consult and check linguistic aspects that are of interest in order to ensure that the texts they translate reflect this level of correctness. More importantly, they can cite these resources as a reference source if they need to justify or counter a review performed by other professionals or the client. As such, language institutions form part of the extensive repertoire of resources available to translators and, in today’s article, we present the three main Spanish language regulators.
As is to be expected, the main regulatory institution of Spanish is the Real Academia de la Lengua Española, or Royal Spanish Academy, which was founded in 1713. This institution was based on the Académie française model and sought to “nurture and fix the purity and elegance of the Castilian language”. Therefore, countless academics who have been a part of this institution have worked over the years to create volumes, dictionaries, spelling rules and style guides for the correct use of language, which have been modified over time. Today, this work is almost entirely online and translators (as well as the general public) can independently make any type of linguistic query and even ask for private consultations for the projects that they are working on.
We must now turn our attention to the work of the Instituto Cervantes. Although its most vital and recognized work is to spread the Spanish language worldwide (it currently has over 80 centers internationally), this institute manages a very important library network that collects publications of great interest for different professionals. This allows translators to refer to the advice of other professional colleagues and even produce specialized publications that help others.
Lastly, we cannot end without mentioning the outstanding contribution of the Fundación del Español Urgente, which is dedicated to spreading the correct use of the Spanish language, especially in the media. It currently has a contact section on its website to resolve the linguistic questions of people who wish to use the service.
While these regulatory institutions do not exist for all languages, it is important for these resources to exist as a guarantee of the correct and uniform use of the language that allows us to bring our localized products to all Spanish speaking markets around the globe.
Ref. de la imagen: http://manuelblasdos.blogspot.com/2018/10/la-real-academia-espanola-la-casa-de.html
