Spanish Translators in Australia

559 million people around the world speaks Spanish!

Of the 559 million speakers; 470 million are native, and an estimated 21 million plus people learn Spanish as a foreign language. It is actually the second most studied language in the world and the second highest number of native speakers of any language in the word (that’s behind Mandarin and in front of English). It is the official language in 22 countries and widely spoken in other countries such as Central and South American countries and USA where there are 45 million Spanish speakers due to the migration. This makes USA the second largest Spanish speaking country in the world and expected to become the largest in the world by 2050.

There are also Spanish speakers on a smaller scale in Africa, Spanish is spoken in Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara and in the Philippines where there are still traces of the language to this day.

The Spanish love to relax

According to the OECD report (published in 2013), the average Spaniard devotes 16 hours out of 24 hours to leisure every day. This includes eating, drinking and sleeping.

Organisation of the day

The organisation of the day and the scheduling of meals is what really intrigues foreign visitors as the Spanish do things a little different.  Lunch is the main meal of the day and is eaten between 2:00 and 3:00 PM. Customarily this is followed by a nap, the famous “siesta” (because most people now commute between home and work, this custom is slowly declining). Supper, a lighter meal, is taken late, between 9:00 and 10:00 PM (or even later during the hot summer months). This is reflected with business, shopping, and school hours as well. There is a decent break, between two to five hours long, in the middle of the day, during which businesses are closed and the streets are pretty deserted. The workday restarts late afternoon, between 4:30 and 5:00 PM until about 8:00 PM.

Food

There are a few exceptions like department stores, restaurants and bars, which are open all day. It is quite common practice for Spaniards to go for a snack before meals, especially on non-working days. The most well-known bar food, which is also quite popular now in Western countries, known as “tapas”, it consists of prepared dishes and are often smaller versions of main-course dishes. Spaniards are among the world’s largest consumers of seafood; they are very fond of both fish and shellfish. Many Legumes, especially beans, lentils, chickpeas, are also a key ingredient for Spanish people.

In Spanish and as is very common within the Roman languages, there are different ways of saying “you”; the formal and informal way.

Usually when talking to close friends, family and first-name basis friends, you can use “tú” or “vosotros”. But, for a more formal or when talking to the elderly and to show respect, you should use “usted” and “ustedes”

When greeting in informal situations, most people will give a kiss on each cheek. However, men will usually shake hands.