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Michael Bloomberg has been speaking a lot of Spanish in recent weeks. He now often ends press conferences with a few Spanish phrases and has been been taking questions from Spanish-speaking reporters, too. Unfortunately, despite nearly six years of one-on-one tutoring sessions, Bloomberg still has trouble spitting out a sentence without making a mistake: When he was asked about the recent snowstorm, for example, he pointed out that the "the streets have cleaned" and "it was a lot of windy." With the mayoral election fast approaching—and considering challengers like William Thompson and Anthony Weiner are taking Spanish classes, too—the mayor is going to have to do a lot better if he expects to win over the city's Latino population. And he's going to have to do more than simply chat about the weather; he's going to have to connect with voters on a much more personal level and demonstrate he understands their culture and concerns. To that end, we turned to our in-house translator to put together a few phrases that the mayor might want to memorize as he meets voters over the next few months. ¡Buena suerte, Señor Bloomberg!

  • My name is Michael, but you can call me Miguel if you prefer.
    Mi nombre es Michael, pero si prefieren llámemen Miguel.
  • If you re-elect me, I am willing to legally change my name to Miguel Bloomberg.
    Si me reeligen estoy dispuesto a legalmente cambiarme el nombre a Miguel Bloomberg.
  • Yes, it's true, I am a billionaire. And, yes, it's also true that my net worth exceeds the gross domestic product of Nicaragua. But I'd really like to think of myself as a man of the people.
    Si, es cierto, soy billonario. También es verdad que mi patrimonio excede el producto interno bruto de Nicaragua. Pero igual me considero gente del pueblo.
  • I am aware that I have a terrible accent when speaking Spanish. But I have an accent when speaking English, too, a fact you should probably take into consideration.
    Estoy consciente de que tengo un pésimo acento cuando hablo Español. Pero también tengo acento cuando hablo en Ingles. Un hecho que deben de considerar.
  • I have a deep appreciation for the Dominican Republic. I've visited the island on several occasions, in fact. From what I could see from my private jet and from the luxurious mansion I rented, it looked like a lovely country.
    Le tengo un gran aprecio a la República Dominicana. Es más, he visitado la isla en varias ocasiones. De lo que pude ver desde mi jet privado, y de la lujosa mansión que renté, me pareció un país encantador.
  • I'm very much in touch with the Mexican-American community in New York City. Diana and I order food from Rosa Mexicana at least once a week, you should know.
    Estoy muy conectado con la comunidad México-Americana de la ciudad de Nueva York. Quiero que sepan que Diana y yo pedimos domicilio a Rosa Mexicana por lo menos una vez a la semana.
  • I'm doing everything it takes to improve my Spanish. In fact, I'm so dedicated that when I go to the ATM machine, I click on the Spanish language option. Every little bit helps.
    Estoy haciendo todo lo posible para mejorar mi español. Es más, estoy tan dedicado, que cuando voy al cajero electrónico elijo la opción de español. Cualquier cosita ayuda.
  • New York is facing a massive budget gap, it's true. Unlike my opponents, though, I am in a position to bail out the city personally, just so you know.
    Es verdad, Nueva York esta enfrentando una brecha de presupuesto masiva. Pero solo para que sepan, quiero informarles que al contrario de mis oponentes yo me encuentro en una posición en la que puedo rescatar a la ciudad personalmente.
  • How close are my ties to the Puerto Rican community? Did I mention that I marched with J.Lo in the Puerto Rican Day Parade?
    Que tan involucrado estoy con la comunidad de Puerto Rico? Les mencioné que marché con J-Lo en el Puerto Rican Day Parade?
  • How close are my ties to the Dominican community? Alex Rodriguez is supporting my candidacy, which should tell you something. I do want to point out, though, that I never did steroids with him. Just ask Diana: She's seen me with my shirt off.
    Que tan involucrado estoy con la comunidad Dominicana? Alex Rodriguez apoya mi campaña, lo que debe de decirles algo. Aunque quisiera aclarar que nunca usamos esteroides juntos. Pregúntenle a Diana: Ella me ha visto sin camisa.
  • I've never been to Colombia, no. But I do love Colombian coffee. And I think Shakira's pretty cool, too.
    Nunca he ido a Colombia, no. Pero me encanta el café Colombiano. Y Shakira no está mal.
  • I've never been to Ecuador. But I have heard that dude from Ecuador playing the flute in the Times Square subway station, and I like what I see so far.
    Nunca he ido a Ecuador, pero he oído al tipo ecuatoriano que toca flauta en la estación del subway de Times Square y de lo que he visto me gustaría mucho.
  • I don't know much about Honduras, Peru, or Bolivia. But I understand they're rich in natural resources like gold, copper, silver, and coal, and I did trade some of those commodities when I worked on Wall Street, so that should count for something.
    No se mucho de Honduras, Perú, y Bolivia, pero entiendo que son países ricos en recursos naturales como oro, bronce, plata y carbón. Muchos de los que intercambié cuando trabajaba en Wall Street, que cuenta para algo.
  • I won't lie. I'm not into salsa or merengue dancing. But if you've ever heard me sing, you probably understand that the performing arts isn't exactly my thing.
    No les voy a mentir. No me gusta bailar ni salsa ni merengue, pero igual si me oyeran cantar sabrían que las artes no son lo mío.