15:04 Aug 8, 2006 

Pues si se enfada ni modo, las cosas son como deben ser. Muchas gracias por los puntos, María. Saludos.

18:26 Aug 7, 2006 

(sorry)...when you CAN normalize?

18:25 Aug 7, 2006 

It still begs the question: Why be literal (basic) when you normalize (sophisticated)?

18:14 Aug 7, 2006 

These are not "apartments": transitogesell.com.ar/default.htm ; www.dnp.gov.co ; www.sistema.itesm.mx/va/acervo/Bib-fz.html ; oceanografia.cicese.mx ; acuicultura.cicese.mx

18:08 Aug 7, 2006 

I'm sorry José, but I'm afraid you're wrong this time. "Departamento" does not always mean apartment. In many Latin American countries it is also an agency or an office. I'm Mexican and believe me, I'm completely sure about this. Saludos

17:53 Aug 7, 2006 

...say "tránsito", but whatever...)
So, it sounds like we don't disagree, and it further sounds like you already have the proper answer, because it is most certainly not any of the those suggested thus far. Un abrazo, María!!

17:51 Aug 7, 2006 

In México, you generally use "departamento" for apartment..."apartamento" is clearly an anglicism.....And, I think "dirección" is a beautiful word; it's one of the options that I speak of......"Dirección de tráfico" sounds good to me (personally, I would

17:16 Aug 7, 2006 

Dear JoséN, "Departamento" means "apartment", as far as I know, in Argentina and Uruguay, NOT in all Spanish speaking countries, certainly not in Mexico and Spain, where I'm presently based. I've lived in Chile, Peru and Ecuador but this was many years ago and I can't remember which was the word there for what is an apartment in English.
Perhaps in California where you are, you call it "Secretaría de Tránsito". Well, believe it or not, after being rightly corrected as a young girl in Argentina for using "tráfico" instead of "tránsito", when talking about vehicles, I settle in Spain and the official word for "traffic" here is (and the winner is...) "Tráfico". Yeah, the government department regulating everything concerning motor vehicles is the "Dirección General de Tráfico". Secretaría in Spain is the official name for government departments whose status is just a bit less than Ministries, for example: "Secretaría (de estado) de Telecomunicaciones, Secretaría de Inmigración, Secretaría de Cooperación Internacional, etc. I'm also a sworn and official translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 35 years of professional experience in many countries and let me tell you that words have so many different meanings depending on where you are that I can't help smiling when I read "Latin American Spanish". Just try to say in Mexico what Argentinians could say when failing an exam: "Lo chingué" or when a skirt hangs irregularly: "el vestido me chinga" (I did on my second day in Mexico and I can still hear the laugh of my friends). Or you should the expression on the face of Argentinian friends when I took the Mexican Cultural Attaché, just arrived to Buenos Aires, to a party and he commented that a well-known politician (and liar) was a "conchudo". So, many times it's difficult to say which word, if any, can be used for, if not all, many Latin American countries, with the same meaning everywhere.

16:43 Aug 7, 2006 

"Departamento" means "apartment"...it is extremely common for the average bilingual person to use "departamento" when attempting to translate "Department [...of]"....this needs to stop. the spanish language has a wealth of worthy options!