LaLiga Publish ‘Football Dictionary’ In China

LaLiga and the Instituto Cervantes in China have presented the first Diccionario del fútbol (‘Football dictionary’) at the Biblioteca Miguel Cervantes in the Chinese city of Shanghai.

This is a response to the growing demand for Spanish football and the Castilian language in the Asian country.

The aim of this dictionary is to generate initial contact with the Spanish language through the world of football, as well as to offer a simple, practical and useful access point for fans who wish to get more of a flavour for the Spanish game.

The dictionary provides a useful, practical glossary in pocket format, with vignettes by Spanish illustrator Jorge Alvarez and the design of Victor Moreno. It is easy to assimilate and provides information of interest to fans of the sport, in particular those who have no knowledge of Spanish. Many readers may have never considered learning Spanish and so the publication of the dictionary is an opportunity to encourage them to do so from a football perspective.

“Part of the Spanish cultural identity is entrenched in the expressions and vocabulary used in football. That’s why we are able not only to bring Chinese fans closer to our language, but also cultural aspects of Spain as a whole through their passion for the game. At LaLiga, we are fully committed to helping Chinese football develop and at the same time, we want to become ambassadors for our country through these types of initiatives with Spanish institutions,” said Sergi Torrents, LaLiga’s country manager for China.

Spain is a historic footballing country that has contributed to major new types of collaboration with China. Since 2015, dozens of schools have run programmes to teach children about football and many clubs have opened football schools in China through LaLiga.