Business Spanish: The benefits and key vocabulary

Spanish is among the top-five most spoken languages worldwide, and trust us, adding business Spanish to your resume can significantly boost your career prospects. Whether you’re introducing yourself in a business setting or composing a work-related email, knowing the basics of business Spanish will surely prove useful.

Sure, maybe you’re only learning Spanish for personal reasons, or because you find the language particularly beautiful (and rightly so!). Even so, there’s a lot you can gain from putting in the extra effort to master the nuances of Spanish for work and business.

In this article, we’ll look at the perks of learning Spanish for the workplace and explore some common work-related vocabulary and phrases. Ready to get down to negocios (business)?

• Why learn Spanish for business?
• Basic Spanish vocabulary for professionals
• Common Spanish phrases for work

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Why learn Spanish for business?

The era of globalization and worldwide trade has definitely made our lives more convenient. Thanks to booming international markets, we get access to top-notch products from around the world. These products improve our quality of life, but every good thing has a catch, right? With transnational businesses ruling the roost, job markets everywhere are getting increasingly competitive.

Developing skills that set you apart is increasingly essential for professional success. The ability to speak more than one language, for instance, is especially valuable for organizations that have their eyes set on international markets.

Indeed, Spanish might be a game-changer for your professional path — especially if your company (or prospective company) aims to tap into the Latin American or Spanish markets.

Put simply, learning business Spanish as a professional can:

• Enhance your labor market value, as your skills could eliminate the need to hire external Spanish translators or interpreters.
• Increase your salary, as you can command a higher rate for offering expanded services in the workplace.
• Open up doors in other countries like Mexico, Colombia and Spain, providing you with mobility opportunities.
• Qualify you for Spanish-speaking roles in your own home country — customer service, tutoring, teaching and translation, to name a few.

Basic Spanish vocabulary for professionals

Have we convinced you? Then let’s get you going with some essential Spanish vocabulary for professionals!

Spanish	English
acción	share of company stock
acuerdo	work agreement
aduana	customs
agenda	schedule
bancarrota	bankruptcy
beneficio	benefit
bienes y servicios	goods and services
cláusula	clause
cliente	client/customer
comercio internacional	international trade
competidor	competitor
comprador	purchaser/customer
comprar	to buy
compras	purchases
computadora (Mexico)	computer
contrato fijo/contrato indefinido	fixed/indefinite contract
contrato laboral	work contract
correo	mail (also email)
costos	costs
crecimiento	growth
cuenta	account
deuda	debt
departamento	department
director/directora	director
distribución	distribution
empleado/empleada	employee
empleador	employer
empresa	company
entrevista	interview
equipo	equipment, also team
escritorio	desk
estrategia	strategy
exportaciones	exports
fábrica	factory
factura	invoice
fecha límite	deadline
ganancias	profit
importaciones	imports
industria	industry
inversión	investment
inversor	investor
jefe/jefa	manager
junta/reunión	meeting
marca	brand
mercado	market
negocio	business
objetivo	goal
oferta y demanda	supply and demand
oficina/despacho	office
organización	organization
pago	payment
pasantía	internship
pérdida	loss
personal	staff
precio	price
presupuesto	budget
promoción	promotion
proveedor	providor
publicidad	advertising
reclutar	to recruit
Recursos Humanos	Human Resources
Relaciones Públicas	Public Relations
retroalimentación	feedback
riesgo	risk
salario/sueldo	salary
sucursal	branch
tarjeta de presentación	business card
vender	to sell
ventas	sales
viaje de negocios	business trip

Common Spanish phrases for work

Now, let’s check out some everyday business Spanish phrases! We’ll split these into two categories: those for written work correspondence (such as emails) and those that are better used in in-person scenarios, such as in meetings, presentations and phone calls.

Spanish phrases for work: Emails

• Estimado/a… Daniela, José, Nina (Dear… Daniela, José, Nina)
• Espero que te encuentres bien (I hope this email finds you well)
• Con respecto a lo que comentamos en la junta… (Regarding what we discussed during the meeting…)
• Te envío un saludo (I send my regards)
• Le agradezco la atención (Thank you for your attention)
• Quedo al pendiente (I’ll remain pending)
• Gracias por su respuesta (Thank you for your reply)
• Una disculpa por la tardanza (Apologies for the belated response)
• Te agradecería si me hicieras el favor de… (I’d be grateful if you’d…)
• Adjunto el documento a este correo (You’ll find the document attached)
• Atentamente/sinceramente… (Sincerely…)
• Espero su respuesta (I await your response)
• Gracias y saludos (Thank you and best regards)

Note: In written business Spanish, the formal versions of verbs and titles are typically used in order to maintain a professional level of communication.

Spanish phrases for work: Meetings and calls

• Gusto conocerte, yo soy… (Nice to meet you, my name is…)
• Comenzaremos la junta con el siguiente tema… (We will begin this meeting with the following topic…)
• ¿Podrías apoyarme con algo? (Would you please help me with something?)
• ¿Tienes un momento para mí? (Do you have a moment for me?)
• Mi nombre es… y les estaré hablando sobre… (My name is… and I will be talking about…)
• Eso es todo de mi parte (That’s all from me)
• Les agradezco su atención (Thank you all for your attention)
• ¿En qué le puedo ayudar? (How can I help?)
• ¿Algo más que pueda hacer por usted? (Is there anything else I can do for you?)
• Para concluir, me gustaría… (To conclude the presentation, I’d like to…)

Note: Spanish has two distinct forms for the second-person singular: tú and usted (you). Both are suitable for professional settings but in different contexts. Usted is reserved for people you’re not yet familiar with; it’s also used in particularly formal contexts such as business deals, contracts and written communication. As a rule of thumb, if you’re providing customer service, it’s preferable to use usted even when talking. Use tú within your team or with coworkers that you’re in constant contact with.

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Let’s hustle

Learning Spanish will open many doors for you. From seamlessly traveling through some of the most beautiful countries in the world to connecting with diverse cultures, professional vocabulary in Spanish can get you far in business and in life. Getting the hang of business Spanish will elevate your career prospects and give you a great competitive edge in the job market. Sounds good? Let’s hustle and get to work!

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