Hispanic or Latino: When in Doubt, Lay it All Out

You will never completely satisfy everyone.  Some Latinos get offended when you describe them as Hispanic and some Hispanics are offended when called Latino.  Then you have others who get offended when you use either.  Some prefer to be called Mexican-American, Dominican-American, Cuban-American, Colombian-American, and so on.  Others prefer to be associated by their country of origin such as Mexican, Dominican, Colombian, or by region like Tejano or Nuyorican. Then what about Puerto Ricans given that they are Americans to begin with?

Some say we should be called Spanish Speaking-Americans, however many Hispanics (like 2nd and 3rd generation) are English dominant yet they are very in-tune with their Latino culture.  Also, the term Spanish Speaking-American can then offend los gringos and some Hispanics who believe there should only be English Speaking-Americans or yearn for English to be the official language of the United States.

Could I confuse you anymore?  Perhaps this will give you a better idea:

A 2006 survey by the Pew Hispanic Center found that 48% of Latino adults generally describe themselves by their country of origin first; 26% generally use the terms Latino or Hispanic first; and 24% generally call themselves American on first reference. As for a preference between “Hispanic” and “Latino”, a 2008 Center survey found that 36% of respondents prefer the term “Hispanic,” 21% prefer the term “Latino” and the rest have no preference.

In the world of Google, when comparing search terms using Hispanic and Latino there is an overall preference to use the word Latino.  In the last 12 months “Latino” averages a 60-point lead over “Hispanic” with a closer margin during September and October (which happens to be Hispanic Heritage Month).

Here is a breakdown:

1. Hispanic and Latino are not a race.

2. Hispanic is a government endorsed term and likely to be used in formal institutions whereas Latino originated within the community and likely to be used in informal settings.

3. Hispanic can be defined as people with origins in Spanish-speaking countries, however Latino would include people of all Latin America, which consists of the Portuguese-speaking country, Brazil.

4. Latino seems to be the trendier term right now.

So when you are reaching out to a predominant Latino audience or talking about Hispanics in general and you’re in doubt, use Hispanic and Latino interchangeably, just like I did in this post, so that you will at least satisfy just about everyone.  And last but not least, if you happen to be speaking about Hispanic females, like me, use Latina versus Latino!