The Super Bowl: its influence in American life and public speakers.
February 7, 2017 § 1 Comment
Dear colleagues:
This past weekend the United States held the Super Bowl, an ever-growing part of American culture and lifestyle. It is the most watched TV event in the country, and for all practical purposes, the day when the game is played is an unofficial holiday that happens to be more popular than most holidays on the official calendar. We have previously discussed how this American football game is not the same football game played in the rest of the world. This incredibly popular sport in the United States is known abroad as “American football,” and even this designation seems troublesome to many who have watched a little American football and do not understand it very well. Although it is mainly played holding a ball, the sport is known in the United States as football for two reasons: (1) Because this American-born sport comes from “rugby football” (now rugby) that in many ways came from soccer (football outside the United States) and (2) Because it is football, but it is not British organized football, which at the time of the invention of American football was called “association football” and was later known by the second syllable of the word “association”: “socc” which mutated into “soccer.” You now understand where the name came from, but is it really football? For Americans it is. Keep in mind that all other popular team sports in the United States are played with your hands or a stick (baseball, basketball and ice hockey). The only sport in the United States where points can be scored by kicking the ball is (American) football. So you see, even though most of the time the ball is carried by hand or caught with your hands, there are times when a team scores or defends field position by kicking or punting the football. Now, why is all this relevant to us as interpreters? Because if you interpret from American English you are likely to run into speakers who will talk about the Super Bowl, football in general, or will use examples taken from this very popular sport in the U.S.
Ten days ago, most Americans gathered in front of the TV set to watch the National Football Conference champion battle the American Football Conference champion for the Vince Lombardi Trophy (official name of the trophy given to the team that wins the Super Bowl) which incidentally is a trophy in the shape of a football, not a bowl. It is because the game was not named after a trophy, it was named after a tradition. There are two football levels in the United States: college football played by amateur students, and professional football. College football is older than pro-football and for many decades the different college champions were determined by playing invitational football games at the end of the college football season on New Year’s Day. These games were called (and still are) “Bowls.” You may have heard of the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and many others. When a professional football game was created to determine the over-all champion between the champions of the American and National Conferences, it was just natural (and profitable) to call it the “Super Bowl.”
On this occasion, the fifty-first edition of the championship game was played in Houston, Texas, and the outcome of the game will likely be a topic many American speakers will include in their speeches for years to come. For this reason, it is important that we, as interpreters, be aware of the result: The New England Patriots, a team that plays in the vicinity of Boston, Massachusetts, defeated the Atlanta Falcons by coming from behind, overcoming a huge point difference, to win the Super Bowl in overtime after the was tied at the end of regulation. The leader of this unprecedented come back was the Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady. Remember these two circumstances: The Patriots came from behind to win the Super Bowl, and Tom Brady led them to victory. It will surely help you in the booth during several speeches by American speakers in the future.
As I do every year on these dates, I have included a basic glossary of English<>Spanish football terms that may be useful to you, particularly those of you who do escort, diplomatic, and conference interpreting from American English to Mexican Spanish. “American” football is very popular in Mexico (where they have college football) Eventually, many of you will face situations where two people will discuss the Super Bowl; as you are interpreting somebody will tell a football story during a presentation; or you may end up at a TV or radio studio doing the simultaneous interpretation of a football game for your own or another foreign market.
The following glossary does not cover every term in football; it includes terms that are very common, and in cases where there were several translations of a football term, I selected the term used in Mexico by the Mexican media that covers the sport.
| ENGLISH | SPANISH |
| Football | Fútbol Americano |
| National Football League | Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano |
| NFL | N-F-L (ene-efe-ele) |
| American Football Conference | Conferencia Americana |
| National Football Conference | Conferencia Nacional |
| Preseason | Pretemporada |
| Regular season | Temporada regular |
| Playoffs | Postemporada |
| Wildcard | Equipo comodín |
| Standings | Tabla de posiciones |
| Field | Terreno de juego |
| End zone | Zona de anotación/ diagonales |
| Locker room | Vestidor |
| Super Bowl | Súper Tazón |
| Pro Bowl | Tazón Profesional/ Juego de estrellas |
| Uniform & Equipment | Uniforme y Equipo |
| Football | Balón/ Ovoide |
| Jersey | Jersey |
| Helmet | Casco |
| Facemask | Máscara |
| Chinstrap | Barbiquejo |
| Shoulder pads | Hombreras |
| Thigh pads | Musleras |
| Knee pads | Rodilleras |
| Jockstrap | Suspensorio |
| Cleats | Tacos |
| Tee | Base |
| Fundamentals | Términos básicos |
| Starting player | Titular |
| Backup player | Reserva |
| Offense | Ofensiva |
| Defense | Defensiva |
| Special teams | Equipos especiales |
| Kickoff | Patada/ saque |
| Punt | Despeje |
| Return | Devolución |
| Fair catch | Recepción libre |
| Possession | Posesión del balón |
| Drive | Marcha/ avance |
| First and ten | Primero y diez |
| First and goal | Primero y gol |
| Line of scrimmage | Línea de golpeo |
| Neutral zone | Zona neutral |
| Snap | Centro |
| Long snap | Centro largo/ centro al pateador |
| Huddle | Pelotón |
| Bolsillo protector | |
| Fumble | Balón libre |
| Turnover | Pérdida de balón |
| Takeaway | Robo |
| Giveaway | Entrega |
| Interception | Intercepción |
| Completion | Pase completo |
| Tackle | Tacleada/ derribada |
| Blitz | Carga |
| Pass rush | Presión al mariscal de campo |
| Sack | Captura |
| Run/ carry | Acarreo |
| Pass | Pase |
| “I” Formation | Formación “I” |
| Shotgun Formation | Formación escopeta |
| “T” Formation | Formación “T” |
| Wishbone Formation | Formación wishbone |
| Goal posts | Postes |
| Crossbar | Travesaño |
| Sidelines | Líneas laterales/ banca |
| Chain | Cadena |
| Out-of-bounds | Fuera del terreno |
| Head Coach | Entrenador en jefe |
| Game Officials | Jueces |
| Flag | Pañuelo |
| POSITIONS | POSICIONES |
| Center | Centro |
| Guard | Guardia |
| Offensive Tackle | Tacleador ofensivo |
| Offensive line | Línea ofensiva |
| End | Ala |
| Wide Receiver | Receptor abierto |
| Tight end | Ala cerrada |
| Running Back | Corredor |
| Halfback | Corredor |
| Fullback | Corredor de poder |
| Quarterback | Mariscal de campo |
| Backfield | Cuadro defensivo |
| Defensive end | Ala defensiva |
| Defensive tackle | Tacleador defensivo |
| Nose guard | Guardia nariz |
| Linebacker | Apoyador |
| Cornerback | Esquinero |
| Free safety | Profundo libre |
| Strong safety | Profundo fuerte |
| Place kicker | Pateador |
| Punter | Pateador de despeje |
| Penalty | Castigo |
Even if you are not a football fan, I hope you find this glossary useful in the future. Now I invite you to comment on football, sports interpreting in general, or maybe you would like to share a “sports interpreting anecdote” with all of us.
The Professional Interpreter 