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| Julián Castro Is Crowned the Winner on Telemundo’s First Debate Night | Julián Castro Is Crowned the Winner on Telemundo’s First Debate Night |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| On the crowded debate stage, two presidential hopefuls offered up answers in Spanish — however imperfect — early in the evening. | On the crowded debate stage, two presidential hopefuls offered up answers in Spanish — however imperfect — early in the evening. |
| Julián Castro, the sole Latino in the race, saved it for his closing statement and kept it simple. | Julián Castro, the sole Latino in the race, saved it for his closing statement and kept it simple. |
| After reminding viewers that his grandmother was an immigrant from Mexico, he declared: “On Jan. 20, 2021, we will say adiós to Donald Trump.” | After reminding viewers that his grandmother was an immigrant from Mexico, he declared: “On Jan. 20, 2021, we will say adiós to Donald Trump.” |
| As the political analysts on Telemundo, the Spanish-language network, began chatting moments later, they declared Mr. Castro a clear winner of the evening. (Not surprisingly, he agreed.) Mr. Castro, they mused, was the “gran protagonista” of the night, having seized on the chance to set himself apart from Beto O’Rourke, a fellow Texan and Spanish speaker who received a significant boost from Latino voters in his losing bid last year for Senator Ted Cruz’s seat. | As the political analysts on Telemundo, the Spanish-language network, began chatting moments later, they declared Mr. Castro a clear winner of the evening. (Not surprisingly, he agreed.) Mr. Castro, they mused, was the “gran protagonista” of the night, having seized on the chance to set himself apart from Beto O’Rourke, a fellow Texan and Spanish speaker who received a significant boost from Latino voters in his losing bid last year for Senator Ted Cruz’s seat. |
| Another clear winner was Telemundo. | Another clear winner was Telemundo. |
| The debate, co-hosted by Telemundo on Wednesday, was the first time a Democratic presidential debate was simulcast in Spanish, giving Telemundo’s audience the arguments in real time and offering its journalists a chance to play a starring role. | The debate, co-hosted by Telemundo on Wednesday, was the first time a Democratic presidential debate was simulcast in Spanish, giving Telemundo’s audience the arguments in real time and offering its journalists a chance to play a starring role. |
| For Luis Fernandez, the executive vice president of news for the network, the broadcast represented a step forward for how candidates view Spanish-language media and the voters it reaches. | For Luis Fernandez, the executive vice president of news for the network, the broadcast represented a step forward for how candidates view Spanish-language media and the voters it reaches. |
| “I sincerely think there will be a before and after when we think back to this debate — how the Hispanic audience was seen before and how it was seen after,” Mr. Fernandez said. | “I sincerely think there will be a before and after when we think back to this debate — how the Hispanic audience was seen before and how it was seen after,” Mr. Fernandez said. |
| On television, Telemundo’s broadcast was essentially identical to what NBC showed. The network spent months hiring and training nine interpreters to provide instant translations of the moderators and candidates. To prepare, the interpreters spent weeks studying the candidates’ platforms and verbal quirks, readying themselves for phrases like “baby bonds” (“compensación por hijos”) and “Medicare for all” (“Medicare para todos”). Interpreters who were translating for two candidates changed their voices depending on whom they were speaking for. | On television, Telemundo’s broadcast was essentially identical to what NBC showed. The network spent months hiring and training nine interpreters to provide instant translations of the moderators and candidates. To prepare, the interpreters spent weeks studying the candidates’ platforms and verbal quirks, readying themselves for phrases like “baby bonds” (“compensación por hijos”) and “Medicare for all” (“Medicare para todos”). Interpreters who were translating for two candidates changed their voices depending on whom they were speaking for. |
| “We were very careful to be sure that the only difference was language,” said Mr. Fernandez. | “We were very careful to be sure that the only difference was language,” said Mr. Fernandez. |
| And when Mr. O’Rourke suddenly switched to Spanish? The interpreter merely paused, letting the former Texas congressman speak for himself. Mr. O’Rourke stumbled at one point, which prompted the side-eye from Senator Cory Booker and mockery on Twitter. But the Telemundo audience appeared only to embrace it. There was no real critique of Mr. Booker, who did not let his accent diminish his confidence when he later answered in Spanish. | And when Mr. O’Rourke suddenly switched to Spanish? The interpreter merely paused, letting the former Texas congressman speak for himself. Mr. O’Rourke stumbled at one point, which prompted the side-eye from Senator Cory Booker and mockery on Twitter. But the Telemundo audience appeared only to embrace it. There was no real critique of Mr. Booker, who did not let his accent diminish his confidence when he later answered in Spanish. |
| English-speaking critics called it “Hispandering,” but the Telemundo crowd simply seemed to say: bienvenidos. | English-speaking critics called it “Hispandering,” but the Telemundo crowd simply seemed to say: bienvenidos. |
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| “I think there is only pride when we hear Spanish, respect for their effort to understand our language and culture; nobody is concerned about their grammar or accent,” Mr. Fernandez said. “The candidates knew that because they were on Telemundo, they were also speaking an entire spectrum of a new audience.” | “I think there is only pride when we hear Spanish, respect for their effort to understand our language and culture; nobody is concerned about their grammar or accent,” Mr. Fernandez said. “The candidates knew that because they were on Telemundo, they were also speaking an entire spectrum of a new audience.” |
| Some viewers may have been confused when José Díaz-Balart, a Cuban-American and veteran journalist, asked Mr. O’Rourke a question about immigration in Spanish, but the candidate himself hardly blinked as he answered in both languages. | Some viewers may have been confused when José Díaz-Balart, a Cuban-American and veteran journalist, asked Mr. O’Rourke a question about immigration in Spanish, but the candidate himself hardly blinked as he answered in both languages. |
| For Mr. Fernandez, one of the most important moments in the broadcast came when Mr. Díaz-Balart asked Mr. Castro about the striking image, taken in recent days, of a man and his daughter who died in a river near the Texas border. | For Mr. Fernandez, one of the most important moments in the broadcast came when Mr. Díaz-Balart asked Mr. Castro about the striking image, taken in recent days, of a man and his daughter who died in a river near the Texas border. |
| “Watching that image of Oscar and his daughter Valeria is heartbreaking,” Mr. Castro responded. “It should also piss us all off.” | “Watching that image of Oscar and his daughter Valeria is heartbreaking,” Mr. Castro responded. “It should also piss us all off.” |
| One Telemundo analyst quoted Mr. Castro on that point later in the evening — sticking with the English slang to express the sentiment. | One Telemundo analyst quoted Mr. Castro on that point later in the evening — sticking with the English slang to express the sentiment. |
| The Telemundo interpreters are unlikely to be able to cede the floor to the candidates Thursday. Of the 10 candidates taking the stage, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., is the only one who appears comfortable speaking Spanish. Even before Wednesday’s debate ended, other candidates were lamenting their limited skills — though one at least remained in careful politician mode on the subject. | The Telemundo interpreters are unlikely to be able to cede the floor to the candidates Thursday. Of the 10 candidates taking the stage, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., is the only one who appears comfortable speaking Spanish. Even before Wednesday’s debate ended, other candidates were lamenting their limited skills — though one at least remained in careful politician mode on the subject. |
| Andrew Yang made sure not to place the blame for his lack of proficiency on his ninth-grade Spanish teacher. | Andrew Yang made sure not to place the blame for his lack of proficiency on his ninth-grade Spanish teacher. |