Listed in the accordions below are a list of select useful terms and phrases to help you better assist Spanish speaking clients. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has published a more comprehensive Glossary of English-Spanish Financial Terms. You can download this document if you wish to have a more comprehensive resource for additional assistance.
Best practice: If the client does not speak English attempt to reach an associate listed on the Multi-lingual Associate List.
The information below is not an exhaustive list of terms. This is meant to aid you if you are struggling to communicate, and are unable to reach someone on the multi-lingual associate list.
General/Courtesy
The table below contains greetings and common terms of courtesy.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Good morning. | Buenos dias. |
| Good afternoon. | Buenas tardes. |
| How can I help you? | ¿En que puedo ayudarle? |
| Please | Por favor |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| You're welcome. | De nada. |
| Goodbye | Hasta luego |
| Have a good day. | Que tenga un buen dia. |
| You can take a seat. | Puede tomar asiento. |
| My boss | Mi jefe |
| Let me get someone to help you. | Dejeme buscarle a alguien que lo pueda ayudar. |
| My coworker will help you. | Mi companero o companera lo va a ayudar. |
Identification
To ask for an ID:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Do you have any identification? | ¿Tiene alguna identification? |
Helpful terms:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Passport | Pasaporte |
| Driver's License | Licencia de conducir |
| ID from Your Country | Identification de su pais |
| Social Security Number (SSN) | Numero de seguro social |
| Tax Identification Number (TIN) | Numero de Identification de Impuestos/Taxes |
Transactions
Phrases a client might say:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Quiero hacer un deposito. | I want to make a deposit. |
| Quiero retirar dinero. | I want to withdraw money. |
| Quiero cobrar un cheque | I want to cash a check. |
| Quiero transferir dinero. | I want to transfer money. |
| Quiero hacer un pago en mi tarjeta. | I would like to pay my card. |
Phrases you might say:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Do you have an account with us? | ¿Usted tiene una cuenta con nosotros? |
| You have a negative balance of… |
Usted tiene un balance negativo de… Usted tiene un saldo negativo de… |
| It will be $5/$8 for the check. | Van a ser cinco/ocho dolores por el cheque. |
|
It will be a $3/$6 fee to cash it. There is a $3/$6 fee to cash it. |
Van a ser tres/seis dolores de impuesto por cambiarlo. Hay una tarifa de tres/seis dolores para cobrarlo. |
| How would you like you money back? (See the Numbers accordion for bill denominations) | ¿Como quiere su dinero? |
| Would you like to apply for a credit card? | ¿Le gustaria aplicar por una tarjeta de credito? |
Helpful Terms:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Deposit | Deposito |
| Withdrawal | Retiro |
| Cash a check | Cambiar/Cobrar un checque |
| Fingerprint | Huella del Pulgar Derecho |
| Debit Card | Tarjeta de debito |
| Credit Card | Tarjeta de credito |
| Fee | Tarifa/impuesto |
| Transfer | Transferencia |
| Cashier's Check | Cheque Certificado |
| Money Order | Giro Postal |
Account Inquiry
Common phrases you or the client might say related to an account inquiry:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
|
¿Quiere un estado de cuenta que muestre cada una de sus actividades? |
|
¿Quiere un estado de cuenta como los que recibe por correo? |
The table below contains some common banking terms related to a client's account.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Checking Account | Cuenta Corriente |
| Savings Account | Cuenta Ahorro |
| Receipt | Recibo |
| Balance | Balance/Saldo |
| Transactions | Transacciones |
| Statement | Estado de Cuenta |
| Bank | Banco |
Holds and Bounce Protection
Holds
To communicate that a hold will be placed, use the appropriate phrase and date information from the table below.
Phrases you would say | |
|---|---|
| English | Spanish |
| I need to place a hold on this check. | Necesito poner una retencion a este cheque. |
| I'll give you a form I need you to sign. | Le voy a dar una forma que necesito que firme. |
| Your check is going to have a hold for 9 business days because your account is new. | Su cheque le sera retenido por nueve (9) dias habiles porque su cuenta es nueva. |
Date Terms:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Business Days | Dias Habiles |
| 2 days | Dos Dias |
| 7 Days | Siete Dias |
| 9 Days | Nueve Dias |
Bounce Protection
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Bounce Protection is a bank courtesy that allows your transactions to be approved up to $500, but it'll charge you $35 for every transaction. | Bounce protection es una cortesia del banco que permite que sus transacciones sean aprobadas hasta quinientos dolares ($500), pero se le cobrara treinta y cinco dolares por cada transaccion. |
Numbers
Below is a list of numbers and their Spanish translations.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | Mil |
| 900 | Novecientos |
| 800 | Ochocientos |
| 700 | Setecientos |
| 600 | Seiscientos |
| 500 | Quinientos |
| 400 | Cuatrocientos |
| 300 | Trescientos |
| 200 | Doscientos |
| Hundred (100) | Cien |
| 90 | Noveneta |
| 80 | Ochenta |
| 70 | Setenta |
| 60 | Sesenta |
| 50 | Cincuenta |
| 40 | Cuarenta |
| 30 | Treinta |
| 20 | Veinta |
| 10 | Diez |
| 9 | Nueve |
| 8 | Ocho |
| 7 | Siete |
| 6 | Seis |
| 5 | Cinco |
| 4 | Cuatro |
| 3 | Tres |
| 2 | Dos |
| 1 | Uno |