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20:29 Sep 26, 2011
Spanish to English translations [PRO] Government / Politics / ADMINISTRACIÓN DEL ESTADO Official titles
Spanish term or phrase:ILUSTRISIMO SEÑOR/ ILUSTRÍSIMA SEÑORA
SPAIN: In a list of participants in an EU meeting, should we bother translating this nicety for the head honcho, or are they all just Ms/Mrs/Mr... ?
"ILUSTRISIMO SEÑOR/ ILUSTRÍSIMA SEÑORA
Ilmo. Sr. / Ilma. Sra.
ADMINISTRACIÓN DEL ESTADO
• Subsecretarios, Secretarios Generales, Directores Generales, Secretarios Generales Técnicos
• Secretarios Generales y Jefes de Gabinete Técnico de las Delegaciones del Gobierno
• Subdelegados del Gobierno
• Delegados Insulares del Gobierno
• Interventor General de la Administración del Estado
• Jefes Superiores de Administración Civil y asimilados"
Explanation: You state that this is for a list of participants, so salutations don't apply here. My answer is based on decades of experience with lists of participants for meetings of international organizations, but I don't have a specific source to cite.
The important thing is to keep your list consistent. If Mr./Ms./Dr./Hon. are used elsewhere in the list, then use the one of those that applies. If no title is used, then omit "Ilustrisimo Senor" entirely.
I suggest that you try to find a previous list of participants for a similar or related meeting on the Internet and see how titles were handled.
I don't agree that "Honorable" is reserved for 'regional presidents'. The accepted practice, at least in organizations in the United Nations system, is to use "Hono(u)rable" for ambassadors and cabinet officers of ministerial rank. This is confirmed in the unabridged Merriam-Webster International Dictionary in the section in front titled "Forms of Address." In a list, it's usually abbreviated "Hon." but in a letter you would spell out "Hono(u)rable" in the address.
The problem is that you may not know if a person is an ambassador or a cabinet minister, or if he/she is a Dr. instead of a Mr./Ms. That's why the modern practice is to omit titles entirely.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 12 hrs (2011-09-27 09:14:32 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
BTW, I devoted a section on this subject in a style manual that I wrote.
Did I make myself clear? In no case should you try to translate "Ilustrisimo Senor," but if the rest of the list uses the abbreviated titles, use Mr./Ms./Dr./Hon., whichever is appropriate. If the rest of the list uses no titles, then use no title at all. If all the participants are given the title "Ilustrisimo Senor," then omit it throughout and leave the names without any title.
I eventually just left it as "Ms." It seems a shame not to be able to call them "illustrious" though! Thanks to everyone for helping out :) 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I wasn't referring to your comment in particular; just the long discussion about direct address (second person), when the question was about listing the people (third person).
The asker says this is a list of participants. As I understand it, the question is how, or whether or not, to translate "Ilustrisimo Senor" in listing their names. Your comments, on the other hand, have to do with addresses in a letter and salutations. That's a different animal.
is reserved for Regional Presidents. The person in question is merely the lowly Director General of a regional govt department. So far I'm just calling her Ms., but it seems a shame not to preserve some of the lustre of "Ilustrisima"...
"their eminences Mr/Mrs/Ms...etc." and just put them all in that category?
It's a tricky one, because we don't bother much with such nicities any more in English - and rightly so, a man being a man for a' that, and a woman a woman. Maybe their job titles (if given) could do the work of indicating how distinguished they are supposed to be?
to address the person, but to name them, as in "the event will be inaugurated by the Illustrious Mrs Thingmybob...". Maybe I should have specified the context/purpose better. It's been a longish day...
The translation workplace 
