Description

Spanish interpreters frequently encounter highly informal Mexican Spanish across court, medical, and community settings: slang, caló, barrio expressions, euphemisms, insults, humor, double meanings, and culturally loaded language that rarely translates well literally.

This 4-hour live online workshop explores current and classic Mexican caló with a special focus on Mexico City and central Mexico. Participants will examine how meaning is shaped not only by words, but also by tone, context, rhythm, metaphor, and speaker intent.

The class will cover commonly used expressions while also exploring the linguistic creativity behind caló: rhyme, sound substitution, playful expansion, metaphor, and social identity.

The workshop will also address:

• Caló mexicano vs. caló chicano
• The influence of urban culture, film, and social media
• Linguistic bias and attitudes toward “ñero” or “chakal” speech
• The role of register and non-standard language in interpreting
• Real-life examples and interpreting challenges involving slang and informal speech

Participants will engage in interactive activities, quizzes, and analysis of authentic expressions used in everyday Mexican urban Spanish.

This is not simply a “bad words” class or a vocabulary list. It is a practical language-access workshop designed to help interpreters better understand how informal Mexican Spanish actually works in real communicative situations.

Date: Saturday, May 30
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Location: Live Online via Zoom

Credits:

• 4 CE/CIMCE credits approved for California, Nevada, and Arizona
• CCHI-approved: 4 instructional hours

Registration Fee: $120

Instructor:
Lorena Pike, MA, CCI
Nevada & California Certified Court Interpreter
Faculty, UCSD Extended Studies Translation and Interpreting Program