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Luis Suarez may be many things, but he is (probably) not racist – a translator’s view

25/6/2014

32 Comments

 
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Many people may think that this ship has sailed, but I have felt strongly about this for a long time now, and the straw on the camel’s back came after the Luis Suarez biting incident, when a friend of mine posted:

“What a horrible person Suarez is - and on top of that he’s racist”

In this post I would like to briefly present the argument that Luis Suarez is not racist. Or at least, that we have no evidence to suggest he is. I will try and justify my argument from a cultural linguistic perspective. But first, let me present a little bit about myself, so you can judge the extent to which what I say might be worth taking into consideration.
I lived most of my life in England, but I have spent 6 years in Latin America (Mexico). I studied a BA in Spanish Language and Literature, and an MA in Applied Translation Studies. I am now a professional translator, alongside working towards a PhD. I am a growingly disenchanted football fan. I think Luis Suarez is a disgrace, and is contributing towards football going downhill.

Now let’s get to what happened on 15 October 2011. On a football pitch, Luis Suarez addressed Patrice Evra, in Spanish, using the word “negro”. (Patrice Evra presumably has a decent level of Spanish). Suarez was subsequently fined, banned for 8 games, and branded a racist by most of the population of the UK.

The word “negro” (literally, “black”) in Spanish is used in a way that simply cannot be translated directly into English because of the connotations it brings with it. In the Spanish speaking world, physical attributes are often used within sentences like these, without necessarily having any negative connotations. So you get phrases like:

· “Qué onda, güero?" – Literally “What’s up white [boy]” – which I might translate as “What’s up, man/dude/mate? (I am called this when I play football in Mexico all the time).

· “Buenos dias, morenita” – Literally “Good morning, brown [girl]”- which I might translate as “Good morning, honey/darling/love, etc”.

· “Bien hecho mi negro” – Literally “Well done my black [man]” – which I might translate as “Well done my son/mate, etc”.

There are countless examples of these types of phrases in Spanish and they are not considered racist. We even have them in English, albeit not as commonly used as in Spanish, and almost never when referring to skin colour. For example, on seeing a particularly tall friend who I have not seen in a while, I might say something like "Hello, big lad, long time no see!".

But getting back to the point, “racism” must surely be defined as discriminating against a person because of their race. If Suarez had said something along the lines of “I kicked you because you are black” then that would surely fall into the brackets of racism. But as far as I know there has been no evidence that Suarez said any of those things. He might be racist of course, and given his other misdemeanours it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of imagination, but by saying something like “por qué me diste, negro?” (“why did you kick me, man/dude/mate etc”) he is not discriminating against Evra’s skin colour. The entire population of Spain, Latin America, or anyone who has spent long enough in a Spanish speaking country to understand the nuances of the Spanish language will surely back me up on this point.

Now for an even more controversial suggestion: if anyone is being racist in this debate, it is the English Football Association. What they are basically saying is: “you can come into our country, but don’t say words in your own language that sound like words we don’t like in our language”, which essentially means “you can’t speak Spanish (properly) in England”, which is going some way towards something like “we don’t accept other cultures in England”. If we really want to create a multicultural, anti-discriminatory society, we need to truly seek to understand the natures of the cultures that we (supposedly) accept to be part of our communities. The British high horse can no longer be sat on in this new society. Evidently though, we are a long way away from this society.

I am not expecting many people in England to support me in this view. I have discussed it with friends and family and they can't understand where I'm coming from. But I've also discussed it with many people in Latin America and they agree with me. And just to reiterate, this comes from someone who finds Luis Suarez as appalling as the next person.

So have I convinced you? How might you translate phrases like “por qué me diste, negro” into English? Comments welcome.

Nicky Bremner
32 Comments
Paula link
25/7/2014 09:59:07 am

Hi there!

Having all my relatives in Uruguay and living in Spain for most part of my life, I couldn't agree more. In Latin America is really common to address people as "black", "fat", "thin" or other adjectives that are used in an affectionate way.

For instance, my mum has always called me "fat" or "fatty" (which is a form of address quite usual for babies) not because I am fat (although that could be discussed) but because is just a term of endearment.

My uncle has always been "the black one" for us and my mum calls my daughter "little black" not because they are black, but because that is a really nice way to talk to someone, an informal way to address someone you like or know.

So, I don't really know what Suárez really said, but no, the use of "negro" is not necessarily racist in Spanish, especially in America.

And I do hope he's not racist now that he's coming to play for us in Barcelona!

Loved the post, by the way!

Paula

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Nicky Bremner link
1/8/2014 02:12:16 pm

Thank you very much Paula for your comments and glad you enjoyed the post. I'm afraid I think Suarez may bring the good name of Barca to shame, not because of racism, but his cheating, biting etc. Hopefully not though as you say because he is a fantastic player.

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Carmen link
25/7/2014 11:26:39 am

I agree to an extent. I think he's reported to have said "negrito", which can just mean "buddy" in some contexts. I think the issue is that he wasn't being particularly friendly when saying it, and Latin American culture is very different to British culture in how we address and treat people who don't look like us.

For example, in Latin America it is fine to call your fat, thin or average-weight friend "gordito/a", because in those cultures it's a casual, jokey way to address your friend. However, in British culture it's often not taken so well. People don't tend to call their overweight friend "fatty" here, and we don't address our black friend as "black guy/girl". In the UK we are also rather more conscious of racism (and other -isms) and we therefore try hard not to make reference to any differences between us and others (maybe this is also linked to the very British form of awkwardness that makes us start sentences with "I'm sorry but...".

This difference in culture are linked to so many differences in our histories, so while Suárez would almost certainly not have been described as a racist if he had been playing in Uruguay and calling a fellow teammate "negrito", in the context (in the UK, calling a black player "negrito" and not being friendly) it is still possible, maybe even probable, that he was being racist.

An interesting question for translation and even more proof that you can't just take words on face value when working between two languages and cultures!

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Edwal
25/7/2014 01:41:01 pm

If he said "qué pasa, negrito" (what's your problem, little black guy"), he was being cocky, even confrontational, but not racist.To be racist, the sentence would have been completed with a "de mierda" (literally "shitty black guy", better translated as "fucking n*gger").

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Carmen
25/7/2014 02:47:57 pm

But even "little black guy" is racist, at least in a British context if not universally. I would object to someone saying to me "what's wrong with you, woman?" and I think most people would agree that that is a sexist thing to say. You can be racist without being negative.

Jonathan Hemming link
25/7/2014 02:56:56 pm

I don't think that just because it happened in the UK, people shouldn't be allowed to use language the way they use it in their native language. And it's also worth noting that Patrice Evra apparently initiated the conversation in Spanish.

Nicky Bremner link
1/8/2014 01:53:09 pm

I agree with you wholeheartedly Carmen that "little black guy" might have racist connotations in English but Suarez and Evra were talking in Spanish.

Laura Astorga
31/7/2014 08:19:31 pm

Estimada señora,
No creo que se trate de que en el Reino Unido se sea más consciente del racismo. Sino tal vez de que tal vez en nuestro país, y me refiero específicamente de Uruguay, no se es racista por llamar a alguien "negro", o "rubio" o "flaco", o "gordo", aunque se lo use entando enojado o no. Tanto como se llama a uno "jefe", "valor",etc. para referirse a alguien en lugar de decírsele señor, o simplemente "che". Y quiebro una lanza por Luis Suárez, porque sé muy bien que un "botija", un chiquilín, que jugó al fútbol en los "campitos" con una barra de "gurises" desde niños, donde se juntan sobre todo niños que son mulatos o mestizos provenientes de estratos pobres de la sociedad, como fue el caso de Luis Suárez, no se puede ser racista. Se los garantizo, como no podría nunca serlo yo que también fui a escuela pública, y en el Interior del país, de donde proviene también Luis Suárez, donde es mucho más común que se mezclen niños de todas las clases sociales y todas las mezclas "raciales" (palabra que encuentro muy desagradable, justamente porque ni siquiera veo a la gente desde esa perspectiva). Considérese y sépase también que en Uruguay los "negros", se han mezclado y asimilado a la población, tal vez mucho más que en el Reino Unido, por citar el ejemplo que se mencionó. Y además incluso en la mayoría de la población "no negra" se tiene a los negros como un grupo étnico muy apreciado por sus aportes a la cultura, a la música, al deporte y a la variedad de nuestro país. Por supuesto que no voy a afirmar que no exista o pueda existir racismo en nuestro país. Pero es imposible pensar siquiera que Luis Suárez, nada menos, pueda ser racista. Atribuírselo es arbitrario, simplista e indignante. De modo que le ruego crea usted que Luis Suárez no es racista.

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Nicky Bremner link
1/8/2014 01:51:57 pm

Muchas gracias por tu comentario, Laura. No he tenido el gusto de visitar Uruguay así que no podría confirmar tu percepción de Suárez. Sin embargo me parece convincente tu argumento.

Ja link
6/8/2014 03:06:39 am

Please read the moors occupation of Spain from 760 to 1493and you will see why the Spanish culture is racist as the black Moore brought civilisation to europe through Spain . Suarez is a child of the Spanish immigrant who killed the negr

MARIA DONA LOBL
7/8/2014 07:31:52 am

Como uruguaya, como persona, y como alguien que ha vivido mucho tiempo fuera de Uruguay, concuerdo plenamente con Laura, considerar que Luis Suarez sea racista es, como mínimo, no conocer la realidad de Uruguay. No se puede comparar nuestra cultura con la del Reino Unido, tenemos conceptos muy diferentes sobre la forma de tratar al projimo, principalmente, siendo, como lo es Luis Suarez, proveniente de un estrato social menos privilegiado.

Jonathan Hemming link
25/7/2014 02:09:17 pm

I agree with the main argument that a word like "negro" or "negrito" does not always carry the same negative connotations it does in English.

Here are two examples of the use of "negra/negrita" in Latin American music.

From Colombia, Sicotropico - Enamorao: "Tengo una negra que me tiene enamorado" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLyuAyPoNCg

From Argentina, Andres Calamaro - Negrita: "Pero la negra es mi corazon" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am9SFN7SBPM

I agree with Edwal that it is even possible to use such a term when being confrontational without it having a racist tone.

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Carmen
25/7/2014 03:09:38 pm

We have "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones as an English example. Just because Mick Jagger exoticised a black woman doesn't make it OK!

It's true that "negrito" is a much friendlier and more widely-used word than its English translation, and I have friends and family in South America who call each other "negrita" all the time even when they are white, so I know that it is usually not a racist term. However, the Suarez situation was different as he was differentiating Evra from himself on account of his race. I doubt he would have used the word "negr(it)o" if he had been in a similar situation with, say, Frank Lampard. Maybe Suarez didn't consciously know he was being racist (from experience a lot of Latin Americans don't understand concepts like racism/sexism in the same way that we do) but it's hard to argue that calling Evra "negr(it)o" wasn't bringing his race into a confrontation.

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Paula link
25/7/2014 05:13:30 pm

But no, that is exactly the point! Suarez himself would be called "negro" in Uruguay! And he might use the same "negro" with Lampard. Or he would even call him "crazy" which is also widely used!

When we speak in Spanish in Uruguay, we talk all the time about "this black" or "this crazy" just as a way to say "this guy".

The fact is we can use "negro" to say that someone is dark skinned, but it's not a horrible thing to say, it's not an insult and it's definitely not racist. We use it the same way as we would use "blond" or "brunette". It's a way to address people and it's not bad per se.

I am not justifying Suárez, as I don't know what he really said, but I do think that in Uruguay calling someone "negro" regardless of the context is not racist.

sanchia
25/7/2014 02:56:05 pm

As a black person who was raised in an English-speaking country predominantly populated by blacks, I've had interesting life experiences from young in the U.S. up till now in Colombia.
I've noticed that where blacks are the minority, black people don't like to be segregated or pointed out just because of their colour.
For me personally, it takes some mental adjustments to understand when someone calls me black- in the States it meant I was seen as inferior or dirty however in Colombia it doesn't mean that I belong to the "chusma" but it's supposed to be viewed as a loving remark. My take on it, is that it's controversial because if people if Hispanic culture disliked it, there would not be songs making hits such as "no le pega la negra" or "la negra tiene tumbao" which people not only sing but love dancing to.

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Marta
28/7/2014 06:57:56 pm

I totally agree with you. I have no idea what he meant to say as I didn't have the opportunity to watch it, but I find this to be a very interesting discussion.
I'm Spanish myself, whereas my boyfriend comes from Argentina. Although he is not "negro", he always has a great tan, reason why I always address him as "negro" or "negrito", and honestly I can't think of anything fonder than that.
I would say that intention and entonation make the difference.

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&Translate
31/7/2014 03:14:20 am

Interesting points, all. I must first offer full disclosure and say that, while I am a translator, I neither speak Spanish nor know exactly what was said, but from what I've read of the subject the word I've heard most used is 'negrito'. My issue with all of it is *why*, historically, would this have been used as a term at all, regardless or not it has now become a term of endearment?

It seems like distinctions along the lines of black/white/brown, fat/thin, man/woman have been used, historically, in derogatory terms. The fact that they have become accepted, culturally, due to repeated use, doesn't necessarily mean it is right to use them in this way in this day and age.

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Peter Kahl
31/7/2014 05:36:19 am

Hmm, I have to take issue with a couple of points here. First of all, I think your definition of racism is a bit too narrow (even if only for the purposes of this debate). In my opinion, racism isn't just discriminating against a person because of their race, it is also using a racial attribute (usually skin colour) in a pejorative or demeaning manner. Thus it would be an insult, if I called Patrice Evra a "bast***d", but it would be a racially aggravated insult if I called him a "black bast***d" - simply by virtue of the fact that the colour of his skin is used to amplify the original insult.

Secondly, there is the matter of intent. Apparently, Suarez called Evra "negrito" nine times during the match. Are we really to believe that this was entirely innocent and his normal way of addressing fellow players? I think a more likely scenario is that he knew very well (or at least suspected) that this would rile Evra. And if that was the case, then it was indeed a form of racism, because what he said had the intention to provoke.

This takes nothing away from your very interesting analysis about how these terms are used in South American Spanish btw - I simply don't think it applies to the Suarez case.

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Nicky Bremner link
1/8/2014 01:48:44 pm

Thanks for the comment Peter. I appreciate that racism is a difficult concept to define. I also agree that if Suarez had called Evra a "black b***ard it would have been racist. But he didn't (or at least we have no evidence that he did). The amount of times he said it isn't relevant at all. Do you have experience living in a Spanish speaking country? If so I think you'd find it difficult to argue that point. If you speak of "intent" you must surely understand the cultural linguistic background of Luis Suarez, not the cultural "rules" of the English language and/or culture.

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Peter Kahl
1/8/2014 03:40:53 pm

Nicky,

Straightforward question: Do you think he intended to provoke Patrice Evra or do you think this was an "honest mistake"?

I may not have a huge amount of experience with South American Spanish, but I've been on a few football pitches in my time and based on that I know what my money would be on...

Nicky Bremner link
1/8/2014 11:03:02 pm

I think he was having banter with Evra, maybe trying to get into his head, as you say these things happen on the footy pitch, but the word "negro" wasn't used in a racist way. If he had been arguing with a blond guy he might of added "guero" (or whatever the Uruguayan equivalent is) to the end of the sentence, if he was talking to Andy Carroll, he might add "altote" (tall man) to the end of the sentence. That's the way Spanish speakers tend to talk. But to reiterate he might be racist but there is no evidence that there was racist intention.

Carmen
4/8/2014 08:44:15 am

This was my general point, except Peter has articulated it much more succinctly and clearly than I did!

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Hellmut Kohlsdorf
31/7/2014 08:17:51 am

I was born in Guayaquil, lived in Montevideo, Lima and in Colombia where I finished what is called bachillerato. I can fully agree to what has been written so far and even would like to add the expression "papito", which means dad literally, but in day to day use of our beautiful spanish language, mothers call their boys that way, girls their friend. Taking the same line of arguments assuming by using those words for attributing racism to somebody, this word would go equally wrong! I have lived during my whole bachillerato age in Bogotá. While there is kind of a racism in which people are being considered "better" being white and accordingly the black has tendency to be seen opposite, discrimination in Latin America is much more related to social level rating which depends more on the ancestry than about its economic situation. It is not without a reason, why in Latin America a person has the last name of the father and the mother! I have been a member of one of the highest class clubs in Bogotá and I have seen people with money joining the club when drug money and drug people were having a huge influence. Never ever those individuals were accepted as equal! So while a certain racism, or lets better call it higher esteem exists for white people, the ancestry plays a much bigger role! I use to give an example why I believed this! You can have a family were both are white, blond, blue eyes individuals and a kid of them can be black. How could you dare to discriminate a person purely by its race linked physical attributes! And just to stop ironical statements, both persons in the couple are the physical parents!

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Bryan
31/7/2014 08:33:44 am

I don't speak Spanish, but I speak Brazilian Portuguese, and my perspective would be exactly the same. However, unfortunately most people are only interested in viewing such things through the eyes of their own culture, and if someone is already seen as a villain, it's that much easier to cling to such ideas. For the person who said that he is racist because he used the word negrito 9 times, I don't buy that either. If he was committing a racist act, I'm sure Spanish has much more insulting and explicit ways that he would have disparaged the other players. No, I think this is a case of an organization operating from a position of perceived cultural superiority... "It's wrong in our culture and language, do it's wrong in yours too, no matter what you say."

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Nicky Bremner link
1/8/2014 01:55:48 pm

I totally agree Bryan and that is what was most worrying about this incident.

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Laura Astorga
1/8/2014 03:24:38 pm

I have already participated in the debate, but I would also like to add some comments, also as a Uruguayan, which for some reason I forgot to mention earlier. I have lived for some short periods in an English speaking country, and I must say that we Latin Americans will always be made to feel as "Hispanics", so we can feel that we are also racially discriminated against in a way. And it is difficult to imagine that someone belonging to a minority can discriminate against someone also belonging to a minority.
And referring to one of my above-mentioned points, there is the case of a renowned "black" singer and composer in our country who is referred to as "el negro Rada", and nobody would ever think there is racism in that expression, not even Rada himself, who refers to himself in the same way. And this is just an example. Besides, there has been recently an attempt to impose in our country the term "of African descent" to be used instead of "Black" and it sounds a bit ridiculous, I must say. This is just something else I wanted to contribute to the debate. Thank you so much for the opportunity

Carol Rhine-Medina
1/8/2014 03:00:58 pm

My take on Suárez addressing Evra as "negrito" throughout the match lies in the key suffix "-ito" which depending on the context--in this case adversarial--can be construed as condescending, if not demeaning, but not by the mere fact of the racial reference itself.

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Peter Kahl
1/8/2014 05:26:36 pm

Whoah!!! Back up, everyone!

The question whether what LS said constitutes racist behaviour can not simply be resolved by explaining how this is (apparently) normal parlance in parts of South America.

As always, context is everything and in this case the context was a top division football match played in England which involved two players (one Uruguayan, one French), both of which had been playing outside their "home culture" for several years

Call me cynical if you like, but I find it hard to believe that what happened here was just a cultural misunderstanding.

On the other hand, the "cultural relativism" argument that has been put forward here does provide a convenient cover for Suarez to duck under.

Now if only he could find a way to explain to explain the biting...

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Peter Kahl
1/8/2014 05:30:02 pm

Sorry about the duplicate post - bit of a connection problem... :-(

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Hellmut Kohlsdorf
2/8/2014 06:08:11 am

Sorry, same happen to me!

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Marcus Strallen
4/8/2014 08:37:39 am

I am very white, very middle class, very Anglo Saxon. During my life I have lived in Africa, in Asia, in Germany and in Switzerland, as well as here in London, so I consider myself to be culturally quite sensitive and aware. I have learnt to speak, to varying degrees of competence, German, Swahili, Nepali and Schwitzerdeutsch (nobody knows how to spell that properly!) and I understand that direct translation of one word into a different language does not carry with it the nuances of cultural differences.

In my opinion, the use of any particular word or phrase in any language cannot convey racism per se. Racism is a bigoted way of viewing somebody. It is a state of mind, not a phrase or adjective or noun.

We should all be made to read George Orwell every year just to remind us how dangerous the Thought Police can be, and what damage New Speak can wreak on intelligent conversation.

I personally believe Suarez is a prat. He also happens to be a brown prat, and a rude prat and a very talented prat. But there has been not one shard of convincing evidence that I have seen (and I follow UK sport avidly) to suggest that he is a racist prat. Only he knows if he is or is not!

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Hellmut Kohlsdorf
6/8/2014 05:08:30 am

I believe the whole matter can also be associated with tolerance or luck of it. Does not mean tolerance to accept or agree to racism or discrimination of any kind! But always searching for the option that some statement might be discriminatory to my personal believe is not tolerant behaviour and not an attitude I share.

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