A Case Study: Connecting
to the Latino Community Accross Many Language Barriers Quotes of the Month LetSpeak.com®
News Wire
How One Major Media Corporation Connected with the Latino
Community
Southwest Florida's CBS Affiliate, WINK News, wanted to connect
with the area's Latino community by translating its annual hurricane guide into
Spanish. So it called in LetSpeak.com to handle the job.
But WINK had to
overcome a very common issue many organizations face when distributing Spanish-language
documents. Not everyone in the Latino community speaks the same kind of Spanish
and translated documents must effectively reach all segments of the community
such as Cuban, Puerto Rican, Honduran and Mexican residents who speak different
variations of Spanish.
LetSpeak.com CEO Allendy Doxy gave an example, "For
some Spanish-speaking people the word for beans is habichuelas, for others it's
frijoles. It all depends on the country that particular person is from."
Bridging
the Internal Language Gap
To handle this issue, Doxy made sure his translators
took the document through a series of proofs by professional translators who are
well-versed in the subtleties of the Spanish language - from many of the major
Spanish-speaking countries. The language of the document had to be altered slightly
to accommodate the variety of dialects of Spanish in WINK News' target market.
But the intent and the overall power of the information in the hurricane guide
remained in tact.
WINK News partnered with Bank of America, another organization
committed to linking closely with the Latino community, and distributed the hurricane
guide throughout the area during its hurricane season, which lasts from June until
October.
Widespread Acceptance and Adoption
"The guide was so
well accepted the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce distributed it at all of
their community meetings, business events and conferences," said Terri Guttschalk,
Director of Sales and Marketing for WINK News. "This gave the Latino community
the same great service and information the English-speaking residents enjoy."
Bonus: The local Spanish radio station, Latino Tropical, offered to give
out the guide at its weekend, outdoor promotional events.
(c) 2004 Allendy
Doxy, LetSpeak.com®, All Rights Reserved. Please contact us if you would like
to reprint this article.
Quote of the Month
"Yearn
to understand first and to be understood second." - Beca Allen
LetSpeak.com®
News Wire
March 1, 2004-- LetSpeak.com's CEO spoke to Fast Track
New Venture students at Florida Gulf Coast University.
February 26, 2004--
LetSpeak.com® sponsored an After Hours event for the Southwest Florida Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce on Immigration Issues for 2004. Our guest speaker was Maria
Lara Peet.
LetSpeak.com® Affiliations and Memberships
ATA
FLATA
NAJIT
REKA
Netcheck Commerce Bureau
Lee
County Chamber of Commerce
Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce
The
Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce
Florida State Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce
Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce
The European Chamber of Commerce
of Southwest Florida
The Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
A Case Study: Connecting
to the Latino Community Accross Many Language Barriers 
