November 2016

Dear Fellow Translator/Interpreter,

I am delighted to invite you to join the Research Institute of United States Spanish (RIUSS) to participate in an exciting, unprecedented endeavor for our professions.

RIUSS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to fill a gap in research on written communication in Spanish in the United States. Evidence-based research will be focused on the unique characteristics of the use of Spanish in this bilingual society. We recognize the basic premise that the written Spanish used in the United States for information and communication purposes is mostly a product of translation.

We at RIUSS focus on Spanish-speakers as readers—readers of translations. US-based translators and interpreters from English into Spanish have been playing a central role in adapting to the many challenges posed by our bilingual society. We all feel the gravitational force of English on the use of standard Spanish, to the extent that new “terms of use” of the language are now being recognized by the Academies of the Spanish Language. We now have “estadounidismos.”

RIUSS’ mission is to create and function in a space for dialogue and research to help determine and consolidate the use of written Spanish of the United States. This task will be deployed in different areas of communication, including the Limited English Proficiency (LEP), low literacy audiences that need to read vital information provided by both the public and private sectors.

One of our main projects, which involves the participation of a large number of translators and other language professionals, is to determine the equivalent of plain language/lenguaje claro for the Spanish-speaking population in our country. Achieving this will have a profound effect on underserved LEP communities as translation becomes more effective communication and broadens its reach.

We invite you to visit our website and make it your home. Whether you become a member at this time or not, we are happy to provide you access to our first Translators/Interpreters RIUSS Survey (Access code: Trans2016). This anonymous survey will help us determine the educational background of US-based translators.

To become a member please register here. I’ll be pleased to answer any questions and look forward to working with you toward our common goal. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Leticia Molinero, President
Research Institute of United States Spanish, Inc.