Colombia language: 4 insights that will help digital content sound natural

2. Parcero: don’t exaggerate the use of jargon and slangs

You might have executed quite good research on local vocabulary. However, it’s recommendable to be cautious and choose the right word for the proper context. Although parcero has been nationally welcomed by people to refer to friends, it is not always used, and the situation will be the one that determines the extent to which parce or parcero fits in a conversation. Similar to this case, adjectives such as chimba and chévere are entirely Colombian, yet their usability will not necessarily secure resonance from local audiences.

It’s essential to speak the same language, but so it is a prudent use of local knowledge. First, we will need to have a look at your main products and services, your segments and the regions where you have operations. Imagine a bank promoting mortgages for a 30-year-old population in the Caribbean by approaching them as parceros; the game would be over! This is why a rigorous localisation of Spanish copywriting and marketing campaigns matter for Latin American countries.

3. Multiple ways of referring to the second person singular

The Latin American Spanish is as diverse as the adaptation of the language across Colombia. Put it this way: while Mexico has a clear inclination towards tú and usted for the second person singular, and Argentina tends to adopt vos and usted, Colombia gathers not just the three of them but also a fourth adaption: tú, usted, vos and sumercé. It is a matter of looking at every department to know which the second person singular pronoun suits better, along with other considerations such as segments and contextual situations. Here is a rough characterisation of the pronoun that can be useful when localising content by cities or departments.

• Vos: Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío, Valle, Cauca and some parts of Nariño which is thought to be the region with the best spoken Colombian Spanish.

• Tú: Bogotá, Bolívar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Córdoba, Sucre, Cesar and Guajira.

• Usted: It is used nationally to show respect when chatting with strangers. However, it is mostly used in Boyacá, Meta, Putumayo, Nariño, Santander, Norte de Santander, Huila, Arauca, Casanare, Guaviare, Caquetá, San Andrés, Vaupés and Vichada.

• Sumercé: Bogotá, Cundinamarca and Boyacá. Sumercé obeys the fact that during the Colonial period native people were forced to show respect to Spanish conquerors by using the pronoun su merced, and throughout the time it became one word, and nowadays it shows kindness and friendliness.

Why is this so important? When running PPC campaigns, Facebook Ads and so on, the simple task of choosing one pronoun for one area might cause different -but positive- results than those you get when using a standardised Spanish copy.

4. Diminutives: A national proof of kindness

Words with added suffix expose Colombian kindness at its best. You can turn any object into something cute and soft just by using diminutives, which is common in Latin American Spanish at a cultural level. Two rules need to be considered: first, when a word ends up with a “t” and a vowel, you can replace the vowel for “ico” or “ica”, depending on the gender assigned in Spanish. Also, when a word ends up with a vowel, without a “t”, you can replace that vowel with wither “ito” or “ita”, depending on the gender.