EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

"And how would they pronounce ALICATE in English? Aleekeit?" The word PLAYO doesn't really exist, at least not in standard Spanish.  It is a term mostly Ecuadorians use to refer to a tool that is known as ALICATE. Therefore, the title of this entry should be: "How do you say ALICATE in English?" I used the word PLAYO because it is an interesting example of a Barbarism, a word that is taken from one language and used in another keeping the original pronunciation, but oftentimes not the same spelling. ALICATE or PLAYO is PLIERS in English.

"This should be called Benchclicking and not BENCHMARKING." BENCHMARKING is a strategy mostly used in business to evaluate the performance of a company by comparing it with how another company, usually a more successful one, is doing. This other company then becomes the standard to be surpassed. BENCHMARKING is not only used in business but pretty much in every field where some improvement is needed. As such, BENCHMARKING cannot be put into one word in Spanish and the closest term in meaning would be something like EVALUACION COMPARATIVA. Perhaps the lack of a better term would explain why several Spanish-speaking businesspeople are also using the word in English to refer to this procedure.

As you can see, Nike now sells cellphones that MATCH your sneakers. MATCH is the most appropriate word. So if you want to say:  "Esa corbata HACE JUEGO CON tu camisa"  You could say:  "That tie MATCHES your shirt." Another option is: "That tie GOES WELL with your shirt." Notice that MATCH here is used as a verb and not a noun. When that is the case the meaning is different.

"Yes, we're SCAVENGERS, and we have a battle cry of our own: SCAVENGERS, assemble!" In Guayaquil, a CHAMBERO is usually an unemployed person who searches in landfills or dumpsters for items or materials to sell later. Due to the high levels of poverty, there are many people who dedicate themselves to this activity. However,  Guayaquil is not the only place in the world where you can find CHAMBEROS, and they receive different names in other countries. In English, they are commonly called SCAVENGERS.

"Yes, I'm a RIGGER and a traffic officer" RIGGER is indeed an unusual word that is more in the technical field which probably explains why not everyone knows it. What RIGGERS do is prepare that system of wires and ropes that are generally used to support the structure of the masts in a ship right before it begins sailing. Similar instances, where also wires and ropes are used to allow the performance of some vehicles, are also called RIGGING such as certain airships or hang gliders. There is no word for RIGGER in Spanish and the closest term in meaning is APAREJADOR which is probably called something else from country to country. The word APAREJAMIENTO does exist, but it means something else and it's not a good translation for a RIGGERS do in their labor.

"Oh, the eternal rest! Great after such an EMBALMING experience!" EMBALMING is basically the preservation of a dead body. Unlike Mummification, EMBALMING does not require any organ to be extracted. In fact, the whole body is preserved and in some cases, the process, which requires more than just injecting a  fluid in the corpse, is so perfect that the dead people look pretty much as they looked before dying and seemed to be asleep. EMBALMING is EMBALSAMAR in Spanish.

When a LAYOVER becomes a Sleepover A LAYOVER is a stop or tranfer from one plane to the next in your flight itinerary. It's similar to a Stopover, but it's not necessarily the same. LAYOVERS can last thirty minutes or up to five hours. Beyond that the term Stopover is more often used. In Spanish we don't have any specific word for what a LAYOVER is since we make no difference between a LAYOVER and a Stopover. They are the same: one is shorter, the other is longer. For both we use the same word, ESCALA.