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Daily Real Estate News | May 17, 2006 |
Diverse Home Buyers Fuel Need for Translation
As the number of U.S. citizens who don't speak English as a primary language increases, the demand for real estate documents and forms translated into languages other than English is rising.
“Real estate transactions can be daunting in any language,” Ron Walker, director of legal affairs for the Texas Association of REALTORSŪ, said at the 2006 NAR Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo yesterday. For non-native speakers of English, misunderstanding the forms can lead to problems down the road. “The changing demographics of Texas required that we do something.”
With more than 100 documents it could translate, though, the association realized that the cost could be prohibitive. So Walker and his team identified 10 to 20 “bread and butter” forms, including the purchase agreement, FHA loan documents, and lead-based paint disclosures, that are essential to have in Spanish.
Dialects also pose a problem. “Spanish-speakers in California, Texas, or Florida don’t necessarily use the same word for the same thing,” said Felix DeHerrera, vice chair of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.
DeHerrera voiced the desire to develop a glossary to ensure linguistic consistency in forms and contracts, and thinks that at the very least, real estate and financial brochures should always be translated.
Panelists agreed that translating real estate documents is an essential part of getting more Americans into homes. “Imagine signing a document that you can’t read,” said Cindy Santos-Mendoza of First American Title Corp.
— Joseph Sullivan for REALTORŪ Magazine Online
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