Uses of Quotation Marks and Italics in Spanish
A Basic Spanish Orthography and Ortotypography Guide for Translators
- Isaac Martín Morillo
This first Basic Spanish Orthography and Ortotypography Guide for Translators was created as part of a research initiation scolarship from Pablo de Olavide University (Seville), under the supervision of Professor Elisa Calvo Encinas.
In this guide, I summarize the main uses of quotation marks, italics, and bold type in Spanish. The content is aimed at translators, editors, proofreaders, and other language professionals who wish to improve the quality and consistency of their writing.
How to Enhance the Quality of your Translations
Knowing how to correctly use quotation marks and italics in Spanish helps prevent reader misinterpretations or deviations from the original meaning. A text that follows proper spelling and orthotypography shows professionalism, attention to detail, and high quality. In other languages—such as English—, the conventions can differ significantly, so understanding how to adapt them correctly into Spanish is essential.
However, for translators, orthotypography goes beyond simply following Spanish linguistic norms or other style manuals. Our work must maintain internal consistency, even when external factors prevent full adherence to the official norm.
To learn more about the main uses of quotation marks and italics in Spanish, you can download the full guide here (only available in Spanish):
