For many in the Latino immigrant community, the recent translation issues associated with the Spanish version of the Obamacare website have been more than a nuisance. Many individuals have had a hard time signing up for health insurance simply because they’re unable to understand the pages on the website, some of which actually lead to pages written entirely in English.

It’s been called a “Spanglish”-based website, but is it really that bad?

The “Prima” Debate

One of the main criticisms over the Spanish version of the site is the use of the word “prima” to describe insurance premiums. “Prima” is more commonly used when speaking of one’s female cousin, which is where the confusion comes into play. It’s been criticised in a number of publications, with many people saying that “costo annual” or a similar phrase would have been a better fit.

It turns out that, as used, “prima” is actually rather fitting in this scenario. In following the basic definition of the amount that would be owed to an insurance company, “prima” works. It’s no doubt confusing considering the fact that the word is often used for other purposes, but to call it “Spanglish” would perhaps miss the mark.

A National Issue

One thing that has perhaps gone overlooked in discussing the way in which the word “prima” is used on the site is the fact that not all Latino immigrants throughout the country speak and understand Spanish in the same exact ways. Those living in the American Southwest are far more likely to understand the female cousin connotation of the word than Latino immigrants in the Northeast, for example.

It’s important to realize that finding a translation for certain words that pleases everyone is actually much more difficult than most people think. As America is not an official Spanish-speaking country, there is no “official” version of the language to be followed.

Immigrants from Spain, Cuba, Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries have all brought their own specific take on the language to America. It should stand to reason, then, how difficult it is to translate a website from English to Spanish that will be well accepted across the board. There’s no getting around the fact that the Spanish version of the Obamacare website is less than perfect. Bearing this in mind, however, perhaps it’s worth considering how hard it would be to create one that is.