One only has to look at the number of Hispanic people who have attained prominence in myriad fields like politics, business, public service, the entertainment industry, and sports to get a sense of Latin American influence in the US and Canada. One could even say that they are the drivers of change in 21st century America.
There is a long list of super achievers of Latin American origin who have dominated the American mindscape over the decades- Desi Arnaz, the father and son actor duo Martin Sheen and Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, Alberto Gonzales, Ted Cruz, Lionel Sosa, Jessica Alba, Robert Rodriguez, Bill Richardson, Ricky Martin, Jorge Ramos, and so many more.
Canada similarly has its share of success stories about its citizens of Latin American origin. These inwpude Fabio Sicard- director, multicultural 
banking (Scotia Bank), Ivar Mendez- MD Surgeon, Ricardo Miranda- politician, Sergio Marchi- member of parliament, Joseph Facal- former minister, Rafael Bienvenido Cruz- preacher, Juan Mendez- professional basketball player, Jose Latur- novelist, and a number of other people from diverse fields.
The influence of Latin America on the U.S. and Canada is not only due to a presence of the large numbers of immigrants from Central and South American nations, but the nations themselves. Many of the countries of Latin America have a long tradition of a left-leaning ideology, while the U.S. and Canada have been the bastions of capitalistic free trade. This naturally has been a matter of concern to the latter as the often unstable economies of many Latin American nations have a direct bearing on the security scenario in the US and Canada.
The Cuban missile crisis of the 1960s, the Nicaraguan civil war, the present economic turmoil in Venezuela, etc. are just some of the examples of how fraught the relations between the two can be. The influence of Latin America on the U.S. and Canada is not just immense- it is all pervading.
It therefore goes without saying that translation services agencies are kept quite busy in managing the dynamics of this phenomenon. From Spanish translators and Spanish interpreters to Portuguese translators and Portuguese interpreters to simultaneous interpretation and consecutive interpretation, the Spanish translation services industry sure keeps busy.
Their services are required in creating website content, translating the lyrics of songs, translating official documents, helping with multicultural marketing, assisting in voiceovers and dubbing, lending e-learning support, and so much more. Given the critical nature of the above tasks, it is important that one hires the best available talent.
When selecting a Spanish translation agency, it makes sense to check out their credentials. One may for example check for ISO 9001: 2008 certification, the industry benchmark for quality. The best translation services agencies like Capital Linguists will have the most qualified and experienced translators and interpreters working for them, besides the best and state of the art translation and interpretation equipment.
Not only are Spanish translation services required by American and Canadian organizations to reach out to their own Hispanic citizens, but also on account of the huge market in scores of Latin American nations- an attractive proposition for businesses. The fact that there are so many countries in that region, also means that there are any number of state and trade delegation visits as well as international seminars and exhibitions happening at any given time.
For instance the president of Brazil or Argentina, two very large South American countries, might come visiting with a high powered delegation of leading business people of their countries to further economic and business ties with the U.S. or Canada. This would be just as true of business and state visits to Latin American nations by U.S. and Canadian business and political luminaries.
It is obvious that this won’t be possible without the invaluable assistance rendered by top-rate translation agencies. So whether it is the Argentine sports minister visiting the NFL or the CEO of Exxon Mobile confabulating with Rio Tinto officials in Brazil-none of it is possible without the help of out-of-the-top-drawer translation and interpretation specialists.
Some 41 million Americans are native Spanish speakers. Catering to such a vast segment of people in their native tongue requires a special effort, and translation companies are at the forefront of this task. The influence that these Spanish speaking Americans wield is considerable in both economic and cultural terms. Comprising largely of a younger demographic, people of Latin American origin are driving job creation and economic growth in the United States. Considering that they are the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S., their contribution in only going to soar in the years ahead.
Apart from language, one of the major cultural influences of the Latin Americans on the U.S. has to be food. Tortilla chips and salsa are already one of the most sold snack foods in the country. Tamales and tacos are the other popular food items. Then there is the proliferation of Spanish media outlets ranging from large commercial broadcasting companies to the much smaller local radio networks. It is partly due to extensive media coverage provided by Spanish language TV in the U.S. that the popularity of soccer has soared even among other ethnic communities.
There was a time in the not so distant past when Latin American power dominated all America. In this new resurgence of Latin influence in English-speaking America and to some extent Canada, we are perhaps seeing some restoration of balance and perspective. Only this time it has come about by way of peaceful means- immigration, trade, business, and cross-cultural exchanges.
America and indeed the world are better for this fascinating interplay of communities, languages, religion, and culture. This grand experiment in creating a vibrant and prosperous heterogeneous nation, where communities not only co-exist but thrive together, is worthy of emulation across the world. It is nothing less than a great tribute to the vision and foresight of the founding fathers of the two great North American nations of the U.S. and Canada.
