Some or maybe none of you know, but I am half Guatemalan and half Salvadorian. Growing up I had to master two different Spanish dialects. And if you are not a fluent Spanish speaker or are unaware that there are different dialects in the Spanish language, there are. So, even though the majority of Spanish is the same, there are certain phrases and words that mean something different in another Spanish dialect.
When you take a Spanish Class you are learning what we call "proper Spanish" which originates from Spain. This is supposed to be the generic Spanish that you are supposed to use when writing a Spanish platform to translate your English speaking channel to Spanish. However, if you are aiming for a certain demographic of Spanish dialect, you would of course correspond your website and or business to that Spanish dialect.
That being said, when I moved to San Diego, the majority is Mexican. Being that I came from a city where the majority is Central American, I didn't realize how different Spanish dialects can be. For example, for me "poporopo" meaning popcorn, is said completely different in Mexican Spanish; they refer to popcorn as "palomitas". To me, "palomita" is a small dove, so when I first heard that word I looked at the person in bewilderment because in my head I was like "I don't want to eat small doves". It sounds stupid on my part to think that's what they were referring to, and if you're Mexican I hope you are not taking offense, but this just goes to show that there can still be language barriers within the same Spanish language.
I enjoy learning the different words and phrases. There is still so much more that we can all learn from each other. Being that I just moved to Seattle I find myself communicating with much more Puerto Ricans through work. They also have different phrases and mannerisms they go by. So I guess I can start adding another spanish dialect to my list!
When it comes to language barriers, I think when you come across someone who speaks another language or even dialect than the one you are familiar with, try and learn some common phrases.
Tell me about your experiences with different dialects or languages and leave a comment below! I would love to hear your stories.