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

Last update: 28 December 2020

Cachipay - Colombia

The new era of relationship marketing doesn’t bring anything but opportunities to reach out the right people toward your brand. Digital channels are bringing stronger bridges every day to connect with people, so to make the most of it, let’s keep up the trust and honest relationships through valuable and localised content. As Nelson Mandela once said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”. Now it’s the turn for Colombia’s market to explore how we can enhance communications with local audiences through the understanding of the language.

 

Four keys to understanding Colombia's Spanish language:

 

1. Three prominent dialects for five regions

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

3. Multiple ways of referring to the second person singular

4. Diminutives: the National proof of kindness

 

What is the language of Colombia?

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The official language of Colombia is Spanish. However, the State recognises 68 indigenous languages and two lingua francas: Creole and Palenquero. The following tips on content marketing for the country are based on the most spoken language, Spanish.

 

1. Three prominent dialects for five regions

 

Regardless of the endless discussions among local authorities about the way Colombian Spanish is structured, what your international brand needs to be aware of is far simple and problem-solving oriented. In practice, Colombia is divided into five geographical regions, and three prominent dialects cover these regions:

 

  • Andean dialect

 

Covers Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Santander, Norte de Santander, Meta, Tolima, Huila, Arauca, Casanare, Guaviare, Guainía Caquetá, Putumayo, Vaupés, Vichada and some parts of Nariño.

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  • Paisa dialect

 

Covers Antioquia, Quindio, Risaralda and Caldas. Chocó, Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Nariño also share Paisa lexicon with differences on accents.

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  • Caribbean dialect

 

Covers Bolívar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Córdoba, Sucre, Cesar and Guajira.

 

Nevertheless, San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina have rather other languages more spoken than Spanish, such as Creole and Patuá.

Colombia languge map

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 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: , 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.

  • : 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.

Colombian Spanish language - sentences

Consider these four insights into your content creation planning and your brand will not reach out customers but people who can find themselves in the identity you’re portraying trough your content, which is far more valuable in order to secure long-term relationships, as explained in my view on content marketing. If you’re interested in acquiring more information about Colombia language and insights on digital marketing, contact me and let’s localise your brand in the country!

 

Related articles: 3 marketing strategies to succeed in Colombia's market in 2020

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Written by Harold Mosquera

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