On 23 April, UN Spanish Language Day, Spanish speakers from around the world celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity of their language. This date was chosen as Spanish Language Day in homage to one of the most renowned writers in Hispanic literature: Miguel de Cervantes, who died on the 23rd of April 1616. While his most famous novel, El Quijote, is one of the most translated and sold books in the world, it is said that he died a poor man. El Quijote is considered to be the first modern novel and Cervantes’ masterpiece was so influential in Hispanic literature that Spanish is often referred to as la lengua de Cervantes.
Spanish is one of the 6 official languages of the UN and is the world’s second most widely spoken first language. It has more than 400 million speakers and is spoken in more than 20 countries, which has led to the development of numerous varieties of Spanish. You should remember this when talking to a Spanish speaker since, depending on what their particular variety is, they might refer to the bus as autobús, guagua, ómnibus, camión, buseta, carrito, liebre, micro or colectivo. You may also encounter some differences in the pronunciation and grammar of the different varieties of Spanish. For example: people in Latin America and the Canary Islands in Spain commonly use usted/ustedes (the formal form of the 2nd person) instead of tú/vosotros.
If you want to learn more about the culture and traditions of Hispanic countries, you should check out these videos: Los quince en América Latina, La tauromaquia en España en el siglo XXI and La fiesta del Fuego.
You can also practice your Spanish interpreting skills by visiting the Spanish section of the Speech Repository.