Letters in Spanish

7 posts
Missing user
April 30, 2015
Hi, as I'm Spanish, I will obviously write my letters to my Dominican Republic kid in Spanish.
Also, her letters will also be in Spanish, so no translation is needed.

Of course, this will make communication easier, but does it make it faster?

Thanks
Missing user
May 27, 2015 in reply to Missing user
No, I don't believe so. I always write to my kids in Spanish, and I don't need translations either, but I am always given a letter with a printed translation at the bottom. I do feel it brings a closer bond, though. :) I also decided a long time ago (2003 or 2004) that I would never write in English, because I had some very inaccurate translations (no joke, one letter told me that the letter said the girl helped wash her underwear for chores)! I wouldn't say they are terrible at translating, but it would be hard for me to sponsor kids relying on translations back and forth, because I do see how confusing the messages could become if it needed translation both ways (it's always at least somewhat inaccurate when I get the printed ones, or at least worded more awkwardly)... so not requiring ​it for either direction is nice. :) I do (and always have) directly mail letters and parcels to the countries, so that might speed it up a little and save some of CI's money, since it is on the way right away and you are paying the postage. Besides, you can enclose fun gifts that way! :) I don't know what delivery and response times are like if you send to the office in Kansas City (or if there is an office in Spain?)... someone else can probably tell you!
Missing user
May 29, 2015
When I started sponsoring, I asked that very same question in an e-mail to a CI representative and I was told that for them it's easier to just translate all the messages coming from the children into English, rather than flagging the few letters that go to sponsors who don't need a translation, because they speak Spanish.

I do write my letters in Spanish, but since they still need to be read by CI to make sure there is no inappropriate content in them, I don't think it saves a lot of time, even if they don't need to be translated. So I don't think you'll get your letters any faster, although for sure the communication will be a lot better if you don't have to rely on translations.
MackyMack
June 4, 2015 in reply to Missing user
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debbies
June 5, 2015
The letters will not get sent to the SOA any faster if they are written in Spanish. If you account is marked Spanish language, then your letters to and from the children are not translated in the SOA, but I can't say that you will receive the replies faster. 
MackyMack
June 7, 2015
If your account is set to Spanish language, but you sponsor kids in Zambia or the Philippines, does it mean their English letters get translated into Spanish? How would the SOA staff in those countries even know how to do that? :-) 
debbies
June 8, 2015 in reply to MackyMack
Actually, if an account is set to Spanish language because the sponsor does not speak/read English, we don't assign children from a non-Spanish speaking country to the sponsor.  However, if the sponsor really wants a non-Spanish speaking child, we do explain that all child letters are either written in or translated into English, and we don't translate them into Spanish prior to sending them to the sponsor. 
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