Silent Revolution or Silent Marriage? A Hemispherical Love Affair. ** You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the by-line is included. Notification of publication would be appreciated. Please send notification to mgalindo@translationsandmore.com ** Love between two people is a spiritual exchange, a mutual willingness to seize the moment. Non-verbal communication between lovers tells us more than a doctoral thesis on how hormones flow, pupils grow, the heart pumps, and the adrenaline rules. No words are necessary. Bordering countries, like Mexico and the United States, not only share fiesta times but also growing pains. While lawmakers debate the permissiveness of the system, life happens. There is a continuous exchange of goods, services, and new approaches to this relationship. Your neighbors get in line to enjoy fast food at the local Taco Bell, subs and salads with Chipotle sauce at Subway or maybe a tamal with fresh, homemade salsa at an ethnic corner store. South of the border, Mexican consumers stand in line at the local McDonald¹s to enjoy a Big Mac graciously served with jalapeños, buy goods at their local Wal-Mart (which, by the way, has a 54-percent market penetration) and probably drove there in a Ford. Stay with me. I want you to appreciate the amount of love some academics, marketers, politicians, and others have chosen to ignore. See? Lovers know that when the whispers of the heart are ignored, the relationship begins to die little by little. Same thing happens to companies. Corporations grow or die from within. Can your organization afford the cultural incompetence of not recognizing the benefits of this silent marriage between the consumers of both countries? The laws of attraction play a role here, too. Seize the moment. Only 19% of Fortune 100 companies offer Spanish-language content on their U.S. Web sites, according to reports by Ron Rogowski, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc. Geography and demographics are not destiny but chances to choose. Will you choose to celebrate in cultural diversity or choose cultural ignorance? Fear of the unknown can paralyze an entire corporation, an entire country or even an entire continent. We don't have to be alike to like each other. Being different keeps the relationship interesting, alive and dynamic! Aren't you glad there's more than just McDonald's burgers and Coca-Cola? ¡En la variedad está el gusto! See you soon, and do not forget to check our new WEBSITE at www.translationsandmore.com See you soon ! Martha. ********************************************************************** About the Author, if using, please include: Martha E. Galindo, President and CEO of Galindo Publicidad, Inc. A multilingual translations agency, selected twice as a Florida 100 company. Author of “How Do You Say…?” an eNewsletter designed to help you improve your business communications in other languages, Subscribe http://www.translationsandmore.com/subscription.html GPI, Inc. Request a free project quote- http://www.translationsandmore.com/contact.html ***********************************************************************