Why we write Spanish ads in Spanish first
Translation keeps words. Writing keeps meaning.
Sam · Copywriter
· 5 min read
When a campaign runs in English and Spanish, the fastest path looks like writing the English and translating it. We don't, because a translated ad keeps the words and loses the reasons they worked.
Writing the Spanish version from the brief, alongside the English, means it reads like it was written for the person seeing it.
What translation loses
Idioms don't travel, and wordplay rarely survives the trip. Take “it's a no-brainer.” Word for word it means nothing in Spanish, while “no hay que pensarlo dos veces” carries the idea. Rhythm changes too, so a headline that snaps in English can feel stiff in Spanish. And Spanish usually needs more words to say the same thing, so a line that fits the layout in English can wrap, crowd the design or get cut off in a placement.
Even a call to action changes. “Learn more” becomes “Aprende más” word for word, but “Conoce más” or “Más información” is usually what a Spanish speaker expects on a button.
Translation also inherits the English angle. Sometimes the strongest hook for a Spanish-speaking audience is a different benefit altogether, and you only find it by starting from the insight instead of the sentence.
Tú or usted
Spanish asks you to choose how formal to be, and the choice says a lot about the brand. Tú feels close and casual. Usted feels respectful and a little more formal. Neither is right for every brand.
The audience and the category usually point the way. A fitness brand talking to young adults might use tú, while a firm talking about retirement savings might prefer usted.
Pick one that fits the brand's voice and keep it. Switching between ads, or within the same ad, reads as careless to native speakers.
Which Spanish
Spanish changes from country to country. A car is a carro in Puerto Rico and a coche in Spain, and everyday words, slang and even what sounds polite shift by region. Write for the audience named in the brief. Using the wrong region's word tells the reader the ad wasn't made for them. Food, money and slang are the usual traps, and they change even between neighboring countries.
When one ad has to reach several countries at once, a neutral Latin American Spanish avoids words that only make sense in one place.
How to write it
Start the brief with the audience and the language, so nobody has to guess later. Then work through this list for every Spanish ad.
- Start from the insight, not the English line.
- Choose tú or usted once and keep it.
- Write for your audience's Spanish.
- Check the length in the real layout.
- Read it out loud before it ships.
We work in English and Spanish, so both versions come from the same team and the same Brand DNA. The voice stays the same across languages, even when the words don't.