NL 00610.080 Spanish Notices

The Office of Communications (OCOMM) coordinates the non-English communications activities within the agency. OCOMM is responsible for translating English notices into Spanish.

Use the information in this section in conjunction with the rest of the Notice Standards and Clear Writing Guidelines found in NL 00610.010 through NL 00610.070 when creating or revising notices in Spanish.

A. Spanish notice guidelines—general

Use the following general guidelines for Spanish notices:

•

Translate concepts, not words. The Spanish translation must have the same meaning as the English.
•

When preparing Spanish language notices or translations, consult the English-Spanish Wordbank of Social Security Terminology to ensure that you use terms approved by the agency.

B. Using Spanish salutations

A salutation is the opening greeting used to address the notice recipient. Use the masculine “Estimado” (for a man) or the feminine “Estimada” (for a woman).

EXAMPLE: Estimado Sr. Perez

Using salutations in most notices is optional. Most systems-generated notices do not use salutations. A salutation is mandatory for notices prepared in the Document Processing System (DPS).

C. Using Spanish titles

A title is a word added to and preceding an individual’s name as a courtesy or to indicate the individual’s rank or profession.

EXAMPLE: Sr., Sra., or Srta.

If the notice is directed to a representative payee, include a possessive pronoun “de [claimant name]”

EXAMPLE: los pagos de Maria...

Using titles in notices is optional. Most systems-generated notices do not use titles. Do not use English titles in Spanish notices.

NOTE: Titles are not shown in the mailing address field of notices.

D. Spanish notice reading-level guidelines

Know your audience. Write to your average reader. Do not write to the experts, lawyers, or advocates, unless they are your intended audience.

When writing Spanish notices, consider the following:

•

Write at the sixth to eighth-grade reading level.
•

Aim for an average sentence length of no more than 20–25 words.
•

Aim for no more than nine lines per paragraph.

E. Spanish headings

The following information shows the Spanish translation of notice headings.

1. First-line heading

Use “Administración del Seguro Social” (Social Security Administration) as the first-line heading.

2. Second-line heading

The second-line heading is usually the program title. When the notice content crosses program lines, omit the program title and use the heading “Información importante” (Important Information) in place of the program title. Use the second-line headings shown below.

English	Spanish
Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance	Seguro de Jubilación, Sobrevivientes e Incapacidad
Supplemental Security Income	Seguridad de Ingreso Suplementario
Extra Help With Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs	Beneficio Adicional con los gastos de los planes de medicamentos recetados de Medicare
Special Veterans Benefits	Beneficios especiales para Veteranos

3. Third-line heading

The third-line heading is the subject of the notice. It draws attention to the main topic of the notice and lets the reader know immediately why he or she received the notice. Use the third-line headings shown below.

English	Spanish
Notice of Award	Aviso de aprobación
Notice of Disapproved Claim	Aviso de reclamación denegada
Claim Information	Información sobre la reclamación
Notice of Reconsideration	Aviso de reconsideración
Notice of Disability Cessation	Aviso de suspensión de incapacidad
Important Information	Información importante
Notice of Change in Benefits	Aviso de cambio en beneficios
Notice of Change in Payment	Aviso de cambio en pagos
Notice of Planned Action	Aviso de acción planeada
Notice of Overpayment	Aviso de sobrepago
Overpayment Information	Información de Sobrepago
Notice of Continuing Disability Review	Aviso de revisión de la continuación de incapacidad
Notice of Denial of Reinstatement Request	Aviso de denegación del pedido reinstalación
Notice of Award of Reinstated Benefits	Aviso de aprobación de beneficios reinstalados

F. Using signatures and signature titles

Place the name and title of an appropriate SSA official at the end of the notice text, before any enclosure information. For Spanish notices, translate only titles, not names. For further information, refer to NL 00601.003 Name, Title, and Signature on Notices.

Title in English	Title in Spanish (Masculine)	Title in Spanish (Feminine)
Commissioner	Comisionado	Comisionada
Regional Commissioner	Comisionado Regional	Comisionada Regional
Assistant Regional Commissioner, Processing Center Operations	Comisionado Regional Asistente, Operaciones del Centro de Procesamiento	Comisionada Regional Asistente, Operaciones del Centro de Procesamiento
Director Office of Central Operations	Director de la Oficina Central de Operaciones	Directora de la Oficina Central de Operaciones
Field Office Manager	Gerente de Distrito	Gerente de Distrito
Associate Commissioner for Disability	Comisionado Adjunto del Programa de Incapacidad	Comisionada Adjunta del Programa de Incapacidad
Director, Office of Ticket Operation and Provider Support	Director, Oficina de Operaciones del Boleto y Proveedor de Apoyo	Directora, Oficina de Operaciones del Boleto y Proveedor de Apoyo

G. Spanish cover letter guidelines

Cover letters should be either automated or preprinted. Ensure that cover letters adhere to the same standards as notices. Place the cover letter on top of the notice so that it is the first thing the reader sees when opening the notice. For further instructions on using Spanish cover letters, see NL 00601.600.

NOTE: Automated Supplemental Security Income (SSI) notices do not use Spanish cover letters.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0900610080

NL 00610.080 - Spanish Notices - 08/12/2009
Batch run: 11/21/2012
Rev:08/12/2009

Program Operations Manual System (POMS)