Arabic Translations in Spain
Arabic< >Spanish translation and interpretation in Spain occurs in a similar context to English< >Spanish translation and interpretation in the USA. Thus, just as English< >Spanish translation is linked to immigration into the United States, Spanish< >Arabic translation in Spain is linked to immigration into Spain. Whereas most immigrants in the USA come from Latin America (mainly Mexico), Moroccans represent the largest percentage of immigrants in Spain.
Most of the Spanish< >Arabic translation and interpretation that takes place in Spain is legal in nature: interpretation for court, police stations and in the headquarters of the Spanish Civil Guard (military-status police force). They typically involve illegal or legal immigrants from Morocco. Interpretation is commonly needed for public services such as hospitals, schools, social services, and centers for illegal underage immigrants.
Written translations involve documents such as birth and marriage certificates or certificates of non-impediment (a type of certificate issued by a city office stating that there is no impediment to a person receiving a marriage license.) In order to become a certified translator (in Spain, also called a “sworn translator”) translators must pass rigorous public exams given by the Spanish Foreign Ministry (similar to the U.S. Department of State). A certified translator is thus credentialed by the Foreign Ministry and the official seal so states.
However, Arabic interpreting and translating still face challenges in Spain. Arabic interpreting, for example, hasn't fully developed yet as a profession: not enough research has been undertaken in the field, nor has it received institutional or social recognition and prestige. Moreover, no specific qualification is required to interpret for public services. Therefore, volunteering is common, as well as temporary work for public services and non-governmental organizations. It is also believed that any bilingual person who speaks two languages can do the job, a misconception linked to the aforementioned lack of professional development, lack of institutional and social recognition, as well as low salaries.
One of the greatest problems facing Arabic translators in Spain is the transcription of Arabic names into Spanish. This issue may appear a minor one but is significant since it causes serious difficulties and misunderstandings. There is no unified system of transcription, and Moroccan immigrants often face legal obstacles because their names appear in different forms in different legal documents.
As a result of French colonization, Moroccans typically follow the French system when it comes to transcribing their names into the Roman alphabet. Consequently, the French system is increasingly used in Spain. The main point translators must consider is homogeneity, whatever transcription system is used. Small things can be done to prevent subsequent complications, such as asking to see the person’s official ID, so that the name can be transcribed exactly as it is appears on that or a similar document.
Challenges in interpreting arise from the diglossia in the Arabic-speaking world in general and Morocco in particular. Modern standard Arabic, learned at school, is used in formal writing and television (this is also the Arabic that students learn), but the spoken dialects are different. Particularly, Moroccan Arabic is very distinct from standard Arabic, since it has also been influenced by French and Berber, the language of the native Moroccans from before the Arabic-Islamic conquest. Thus, the interpreter faces a dilemma. Court is a formal setting, and one would think that the high linguistic register required by the situation should be used in order to be faithful and accurate. However, uneducated Moroccans don't necessarily understand standard Arabic (illiteracy rates among immigrants must be taken into account) and not all educated Moroccans have a good command of it. What's more, many will speak Berber. Some Berbers for political and ideological reasons don't want to speak Arabic at all, so in these cases, a Berber interpreter is required.
Given the current immigration patterns in Spain, there is a growing demand for Arabic interpretation and translation. Fortunately, academic interest in these fields is increasing, so we are beginning to see more qualified Arabic translators and interpreters.
The global war against terrorism has also had an important influence on Arabic translation and interpretation. The March 11, 2004 terrorist attack in a Madrid train station was a milestone. During the police investigations and prosecutions which followed, many problems with Arabic translation were unveiled. Security forces didn't have enough translators. Phone conversations by suspects speaking in Moroccan dialect couldn't even be translated because the police didn't have any translator qualified to do so. Among prisoners accused of terrorism, some recorded conversations were held in various Arabic dialects, and no one could be found who was fully prepared to accurately translate these different dialects.
There was an urgent necessity for qualified translators and interpreters then, and certainly the need and demand for qualified Spanish< > Arabic translators and interpreters in Spain continues to be very real. Current events and immigration trends have sharpened the intensity of this need while underlining the importance of translator and interpreter training and qualifications. Spain’s response has been much the same as that of the United States: to raise awareness of both the demand and the need for qualified interpreters.
In response to the attack of March 11, 2004 the Spanish Ministry of the Interior increased the number of staff Arabic translators and interpreters. As a result, by the end of 2004, thirty-six new Arabic translators where hired. Shortly afterward, another thirty new positions were created. By 2005, seventy new translators were working for organizations whose goal is to deal with terrorist affairs under the aegis of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. Some of those translators work in prisons, which are governed by the Ministry of the Interior. Others work for the police and Civil Guard, also branches of the Ministry of the Interior.
The author served as a Fulbright teaching assistant at Fairmont State University, Fairmont, WV. (2009-2010)]