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Abstract
This study analyzes the role of Spanish as a scientific language in architecture, urban planning, and technology in Latin America, with emphasis on the circulation of knowledge, vernacular terminology, and editorial practices in the context of the hegemony of English. Using a mixed-methods approach based on surveys of authors and editors, the study identifies tensions between international visibility and local relevance. The findings show that, although English is perceived as a pathway to prestige and indexation, articles published in Spanish are associated with greater regional impact, broader readership, and greater disciplinary applicability. Most participants report difficulties translating architectural terms such as adobe, bahareque, quincha, or tejamanil, whose English equivalents entail semantic and cultural loss. Both authors and editors mostly prefer to retain these terms in Spanish, accompanied by explanatory notes, to preserve their technical precision. The study also reveals institutional pressures, translation costs, and thematic self-censorship that affect scientific production in Spanish. It concludes that a multilingual editorial model constitues the most balanced alternative for strengthening Latin American linguistic identity without sacrificing international visibility. The article proposes editorial guidelines that include bilingual metadata, technical glossaries, and clear policies for the treatment of vernacular terminology, highlighting the need to recognize Spanish as a fully-fledged scientific language in context-specific disciplines such as architecture.
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