Associated press will soon launch a new web-based style book for Spanish publishers and writers across the country. AP has been printing content in Spanish since after the First World War, but the new Spanish translation style book will be their first style book entirely written in the Spanish language.
Controversial Entry Attracts Notice
Among the nearly 4,000 entries in the new Spanish book, one entry has caused a little controversy among readers, writers, and publishers. The Spanish language translation of the phrase “illegal immigrant” will be included in the style book, and this has caused some discomfort for some and criticism from others. Pulitzer Prize winner, Jose Antonio Vargas, as well as Emmy Award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa have spoken out against the phrase being included in the style book.
They have called the phrase politically charged and demeaning, and they are not the only ones. Across the country, different news channels and companies have dropped the phrase from their articles and news broadcasts. The news companies include CNN, NBC, Univision, Fox News Latino, ABC, and the Miami Herald.
Associated Press
Though Associated Press would like the style book to become popular in the U.S. as well as other Spanish speaking nations, many journalists say that encouraging the use of the phrase “illegal immigrants” will not make people overly enthused about using the new resource.
Pilar Marrero, a writer for La Opinión, is one such journalist who has spoken out against the style book. The Spanish to English translation of his article says that in the media he works in, people are very careful to not label the person as illegal, only the act as illegal, and so the term is considered offensive.