Translating science can come with some funny surprises.
Several years ago, I was enthusiastically telling my partner about this beautiful, karstic cenote-lake in Guatemala. It is an almost perfectly round small lake in a National Park in the center-north part of the country. “It’s about a 2-hour walk inside a beautiful tropical forest to get to the lagoon. There’s a pretty good chance to see crocodiles”, I said, with the key word here being lagoon. When I showed him the location on Google Maps, he looked confused. After a brief discussion and some googling, I realized we were dealing with false cognates.
False cognates are words that look very similar in two languages but carry different meanings. Even languages with different roots can have share words, whether through coincidence, adoption, or cultural exchange. However, these linguistic doppelgängers are a common pitfall for writers, translators, and speakers alike. Important throughout fields and industries, they are very important when translating science, where accuracy is usually the top priority. In this case, I believe this post can be helpful for other Subject Matter Experts too.
Lagoon vs. laguna
Why was my partner questioning my lagoon? Here’s the thing: in English, lagoon specifically denotes a shallow body of brackish or saltwater separated from the sea by a barrier. This can be a reef or sandbar. In Spanish, laguna typically refers to a small lake. This can be fresh, brackish, or saltwater, and it can be located either inland or near the sea. For what English speakers call a lagoon, Spanish speakers would use laguna costera (or atolón for the reef lagoons).
This subtle but significant difference often goes unnoticed, even by professionals. I have a Master’s in limnology (aquatic ecology). I still edit and translate texts in this field. As a result, I’ve bumped into this laguna issue a lot! For example, I recently edited a report the scientists translated from English to Spanish. They used “lagoon” when describing a small lake deep within a country—just as I did many years ago. By English definitions, this could not have been a lagoon. This brought me back to my first encounter with false cognates and inspired me to create a living blog post. This blog post serves as a reference for myself and hopefully other science writers and translators out there.
Below, I have listed some of the most common mistranslations in STEM fields. I’ve also noted some other everyday contexts between English and Spanish. If you have other examples, please comment below! I will continuously update this entry.
STEM Terms
Click on the arrows to see the explanation.
Lagoon and laguna
In English, a lagoon is specifically a coastal type of water body, separated from the sea by a type of land barrier.
In Spanish, a laguna is any small lake, not necessarily coastal.
The correct use of lagoon in Spanish would need the adjective “laguna costera”, while a small lake in English is simply a small lake. For reference, in Spanish, a laguna is generally understood as a body of water smaller than a lake but bigger than a pond.
Channel and canal/cauce
In English, a river channel can refer both to a natural watercrouse or an artificial one. It can also mean a strait or narrow sea.
In Spanish, canal is most commonly used for artificial channels, while cauce is used for natural watercourses.
Constipated and constipado (a very important one!)
In English, constipated refers to a bowel dysfunction (i.e. not being able to easily go to the bathroom).
In Spanish, constipado refers to the common cold: having nasal congestion.
The correct Spanish term for constipation is estreñimiento.
Embarrassed and embarazada (you’d be surprised…)
I never thought I would have to explain this one, but I recently saw this mistranslated.
In English, embarrassed means to be ashamed, for which the correct Spanish term would be estar avergonzado (embarrassment = vergüenza).
Embarazada means pregnant.
Preservative and preservativo
In English, a preservative is a substance added to products—food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, etc.—to prevent decomposition or other undesirable changes. The correct Spanish term for this is preservante or conservante.
In Spanish, preservativo is a condom.
Other Terms
Bizarre and bizarro
In English, bizarre is something strange or unusual.
In Spanish, bizarro means brave, valiant.
The correct Spanish term for translating bizarre can be extraño, raro.
Actual and actual
In English, actual is something real, existing. Some appropriate Spanish translations for this could be real, verdadero.
In Spanish, actual is more like something current, in the present time.
E.g. “Actually, that happened in recent times” would be “En realidad, eso sucedió en la actualidad.”
Library and librería
In English, a library is where you can borrow books, like the library in a University or the city library. In Spanish, this would be biblioteca.
In Spanish, a librería is a place where you can buy books, notebooks, stationery, and other knickknacks.
Introduce and introducir
I must admit I still make this mistake when speaking. In writing, I always have time to think and edit, but when you live and work in 2.5 languages on a daily basis for a few years, your speaking brain might start blurring some lines (at least mine has). This one can be very awkward in Spanish though!
In English, to introduce someone or something is to present a person or topic. It can also be used the same way as in Spanish, but it is more often used as “an introduction” of a person or presentation. For this type of introduction, in Spanish you should use presentar.
In Spanish, introducir is to insert or put inside.
Sensible and sensible
In English, sensible refers to something that makes sense, something reasonable, practical. The right Spanish way to say this could be sensato, razonable.
In Spanish sensible means sensitive (emotionally or as in sensitive skin, for example).
Translating numbers:
Another common area of translation mistakes and massive confusion is numbers. I’m preparing a separate in-depth post about translating different measuring systems/units. For now, here’s a short overview of a common mistake with translating “billions” and “trillions” from English to Spanish (and vice-versa):
| US English | UK English | Spanish (both LatAm and European) |
| Million = 1,000,000 | Million = 1,000,000 | Millón = 1,000,000 |
| Billion = 1,000,000,000 | Historically, e.g. documents before 1974: one thousand million = 1,000,000,000 Since 1974: Billion = 1,000,000,000 | Mil millones = 1,000,000,000 |
| Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000 | Before 1974: one million million = 1,000,000,000,000 Since 1974: Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000 | Billón = 1,000,000,000,000 |
Double-check everything! Even your AI.
Or: especially your AI.
For most STEM fields, whether a research paper, commentary notes, reports, websites, presentations—you name it—accuracy matters! I will admit AI has gotten a lot better in the last few years, but it still makes these (and other) mistakes in writing. False cognates can lead to confusion or even costly misunderstandings, but with a little vigilance, we can keep our texts accurate. And I can help you with that!
This post is a work in progress, so please share your own experiences or examples of mistranslations in the comments below!
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