Chile Languages

Most materials used in Chilean research are written in Spanish. However, many other languages are spoken in Chile because some European immigrant groups preserved their native languages and cultures after settling in Chile. You may also find some early Roman Catholic Church records written in Latin.

Because of the many languages used in creating records, the way your ancestor’s name is recorded may vary from record to record. For help in understanding Spanish name variations specifically, see Chile Names, Personal.

For word lists and help researching in Chilean records, see:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Latin Genealogical Word List
 * Dictionary of Indigenous Languages: Aymara, Quechua, Mapuche and Rapa Nui

Language Aids
Although you do not need to speak Spanish to do research in Chilean records, you do need some knowledge of the language to read the records.

The FamilySearch Library has genealogical word lists for Spanish (34104), German (34067), Latin (34077), Polish (34098), Portuguese (34099), and French (34060).

The following English-Spanish dictionary can also aid you in your research. You can find these and similar materials at many research libraries.

Cassell’s Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1978. (FS Library book 463.21 C272c.)

Additional language aids, including dictionaries of various dialects and time periods, are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog in the "Locality" section under:


 * CHILE - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES

Some can also be found in the "Subject" section under:


 * SPANISH LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES


 * SPANISH LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES - ENGLISH

Idiomas de Chile