There are certain things that I have heard native Spanish speakers says that I do not find politically correct. I also find it interesting that in the Spanish language you can take a “non-politically correct” adjective and use it as a noun or even the name for a person. This would be considered extremely offensive in English.
For example, in English you probably would not want to use a phrase such as:
The guy with one-arm is in the store.
(El señor manco está en la tienda.)
Not only is such a phrase acceptable in Spanish, but in Spanish you can also say:
El manco está en la tienda.
(One-armed is in the store.)
Of course, if you don’t want your words to sound so harsh you could say:
El señor que le falta un brazo . . .
(The man who is missing an arm . . . )Or:
El señor con un solo brazo
(The man with only one arm . . . )
And that’s not all . . . .
Spanish has not just one but several words that are commonly used to describe a person who lacks a hand, arm or other limb and when translated and spoken in English these words would NOT be considered “politically correct.” In fact, the literal translations would be considered offensive or or unusual if spoken in English.
Besides “manco” you can also use “mocho” and “mutilado” (literally, “mutilated”)
El empleado mutilado está almorzando.
Literally, this means “the mutilated employee is having lunch” or “the crippled employee is having lunch.” Definitely not phrases you’d want to say in English.
Here’s another phrase that would not be acceptable in English but is acceptable in Spanish.
La mocha está en la sala de espera.
One-legged is in the waiting room.
If you are like me and you don’t like how the above Spanish phrase sounds,
then you can say:
La señora que le falta una pierna . . .
(The woman who is missing a leg . . .)Or:
La señora con una sola pierna
(The woman with only one leg . . .)
Here are some more examples of acceptable Spanish phrases that when translated into English would not be considered politically correct. The following two examples come from the Spanish verbs “renguear” and “cojear” which mean “to limp.”
¿Qué hace el rengo?
¿Qué hace el cojo?
What is the lame one doing?
By the way, in Spanish you can also use the same words as adjectives instead of nouns.
Por ejemplo:
¿Qué hace el payaso rengo?
¿Qué hace el payaso cojo?
¿What is the limping clown doing?
How To Say Cross-eyed In Spanish
El bizco está estudiando.
The crossed-eyed one is studying.
“bizco” means “cross-eyed.”
¡PERO TEN CUIDADO! (BUT BE CAREFUL!) I am sure that the above Spanish phrases would be considered offensive if said within earshot of the person who is facing any of the above “challenges.” But in most of Latin America the above phrases are not considered offensive or unusual to the speaker or the third-party listener.
I guess this one is fair game in both English and Spanish:
Hay un pirata tuerto en la película.
There’s a one-eyed pirate in the movie.
“Tuerto” means one-eyed or blind in one eye.
