08:46 Jun 5, 2009 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetland

12:49 May 31, 2009 

if the target audience is British visitors, I would translate it, because for most of them the primary purpose of their trip is to have a holiday in nature; learning Spanish will be of secondary or no importance for them, so it's better not to throw Spanish terms at them except where untranslateable.

12:28 May 31, 2009 

My husband brought it up after I had posted the question (sticking his nose in!) and made me have doubts about using natural park (quite rightly so, and I think I'll use nature park instead despite Cindy's convincing arguments). The main point is, Wikipedia uses Santoña, Victoria and Joyel Marshes Natural Park, and so do a number of other websites, and I was wondering whether this was a well-known accepted translation I shouldn't touch (even though I hate it) or whether I could go ahead and translate as I liked. For me, there is also the issue of marsh/wetlands, as I definitely prefer the latter. And now Cindy has also brought up the fact that perhaps I should leave it as is. This is why I wanted opinions.

12:14 May 31, 2009 

it wasn't in the least obvious to me that parque natural was an afterthought.

Sorry to be so thick!

12:00 May 31, 2009 

Quite obviously, Carol, the "parque natural" was an afterthought, further complicated by people's different answers, so the discussion has drifted in that direction. And I am looking for the best way of translating the name of this specific area, so dividing the question into "parque natural" or "marismos" wouldn't be very helpful.

11:46 May 31, 2009 

Hi Nikki - which is the term you're looking for: ("parque natural" or "marismos")? It looks as though this should really be 2 questions, as posting 2 separate terms in 1 question leads to problems with grading. Assuming that both best answers don't come from 1 person, do you go for the person who came up with the best answer to (i) or to (ii)?

10:52 May 31, 2009 

DRAE: Terreno bajo y pantanoso que inundan las aguas del mar.

According to wikipedia, "wetland" is a more general term than "marshland" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetland).

Also, since "marismas" are flooded by sea water, and since "marshes" are not necessarily so (according to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh), you could use the term "coastal marshes" (mentioned in same Wikipedia article) or "tidal marshes" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_marsh).

Finally, concerning the official name "national, park, reserve", it must depend on the kind of protection give to the area, and at which level (regional, national). If the translation if just for a tourist brochure, I don't think it will make a big difference whether you say "park" or "reserve".

Good luck!

10:41 May 31, 2009 

I have found the following documents for the different types of protected areas in Spain:
http://www.ign.es/espmap/fichas_patri_bach/pdf/Patri_Ficha_0...
http://www.ucm.es/info/iuca/ART A.TOLON X. LASTRA.pdf.

10:40 May 31, 2009 

Yep, i had this problem when i worked as a tour guide in Spain: trying to explain to English speaking guests the difference between a Parque Natural, a Parque Nacional, Reserva Natural and a paraje natural. Not easy i have to say. A Parque Natural is a Natural Park, it can't be called a National Park and it is more than a nature reserve or natural reserve... Even if your husband doesn't like it... Good luck,
(I prefer Wetlands to Marshes)
AGB

10:34 May 31, 2009 

My husband has just further complicated this for me by saying that he doesn't like natural park. However, I cannot call it a nature reserve, can I? Because they have reservas naturales in Spain, don't they, which are different from parques naturales, aren't they?