Spanish translations for allergy cards? (2023)

I'm looking for reliable Spanish translations of some food-allergy related phrases! If there are different colloquialisms for different countries, please let me know.

posted by internet fraud detective squad, station number 9 to Grab Bag (11 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite

Response by poster: I will just use the ones which are relevant when I am in the relevant place!
posted by internet fraud detective squad, station number 9 at 8:53 AM on July 22, 2019

This place offers links to 3 different ones: https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/living-with-anaphylaxis/travelling/translation-cards/

My sister has successfully used the allergy action ones while traveling.
posted by eleanna at 9:51 AM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

So as not to abuse the edit window: a good search term is allergy translation cards.

They vary in comprehensiveness but they are pretty inexpensive (under $10).
posted by eleanna at 9:56 AM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I am allergic to and cannot eat Soy alergico y no puedo comer...

Please double check these for allergens Por favor revisemelas/los nuevamente por alergenos

I can eat these things puedo comer estos alimentos

If you are serving buffet-style, please label ingredients si va a hacer un buffet, ponga por favor etiquetas y listas de ingredientes

Please tell me if I can eat the Por favor hagame saber si puedo comer el/la/los/las...

Plain is fine Sencillo esta bien

No dressing, please sin aderezo por favor

No sauce, please sin salsa por favor

Dairy (butter, milk, yogurt, cheese and sour cream) Productos lacteos (leche, mantequilla, yogur, queso, y crema agria)

Yes, anything that comes from a cow si,cualquier cosa que venga de una vaca
posted by BadgerDoctor at 10:01 AM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I hate to be the person who only comes into a thread to suggest changes to other people’s translations, but I guess I don’t hate it enough not to post, so....

Saying soy alergico/a will probably communicate what you’re trying to say but it is more common in Spanish to say you have allergies to specific things rather than to describe yourself as an allergic person. Better to say tengo alergicas a and then list the items you can’t eat.

Hagame saber is a translation of an English idiomatic expression (“let me know”) that doesn’t really have a direct Spanish equivalent. It’s entirely possible that your listener will know what you’re trying to say, especially if they’re accustomed to speaking Spanish with native English speakers, though in that case they’d more often hear dejeme saber; hagame saber is more “make me know” than “let me know.” Regardless, there’s an easier and more correct way: por favor aviseme si puedo comer whatever it is you’re trying to order.

The word sencillo does mean “plain” in many contexts but isn’t usually used to describe food. Instead try está bien sin adorno or sin guarnición.

Lastly, the English phrase “to come from” is better translated by the Spanish provenir de rather than just venir. Again, you’d probably be understood either way but it’ll sound a little funny. Si, todo lo que proviene de una vaca will make it clearer.
posted by jesourie at 12:09 PM on July 22, 2019 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Just some perspective here: BadgerDoctor's translations sound perfectly fine to my native ears (TMNE).

Please don't say "tengo alergicas" unless you mean "I have (female) allergics".

It's possible to say "tengo alergia a [this food]", though "soy alérgico a [this food]" works just as well, if not better/more natural TMNE.

"Venir/provenir" are both fine but, again, 'venir" comes across TMNE as more natural in conversation. Which is totally not a a huge issue, since you're not writing a speech but needing to convey some potentially life-saving information over the dinner table.

Plain food can be a ton of things, depending on what you're asking to have removed. Like, a plain burger, plain salad, a plain cup of coffee imply "without" different things. Hence, good general qualifiers are indeed "simple", "solo" (alone/only), "sin nada" (without anything), and some regions also say "puro". In Chile you could even say bald, as in hairless: "pelado". It's coloquial and I'd recommend using it for emphasis only, as your listener may contract spams from laughter.

If you asked MNE to please bring your food "sin adornos", I'd wonder why you thought I'd put ornaments on your plate, instead of food. Though generally, I'd also recommend using "sin" + the name of the specific things you want removed for maximum clarity.
posted by ipsative at 3:03 PM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Thanks, ipsative. I'm always eager to learn things from a native speaker and am glad to have new, nuanced information to integrate!

Alergicas was a typo--I totally meant alergia.
posted by jesourie at 6:31 PM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: (This is Castilian Spanish but should be understandable to most Latin American speakers)

I am allergic to and cannot eat Tengo alergias y no puedo comer (X)

Please double check these for allergens Por favor asegúrese por completo de que no contenga estos alérgenos

I can eat these things Puedo comer estos alimentos

If you are serving buffet-style, please label ingredients Si el servicio es de buffet libre, por favor etiquete los ingredientes
(* Personally I have never seen labeled ingredients in a buffet in Spain but by law restaurants should have an allergen chart that you can ask for: "por favor, déme la carta de información sobre alérgenos")

Please tell me if I can eat the [x] Por favor confirme si puedo comer (X)

Plain is fine No me importa en absoluto que el plato se sirva sin guarnición, aderezos o salsas
(lit. I don't mind at all if the dish is served without sides or sauces)

No dressing, please Sin aderezo, por favor
(* At least in Spain, if you're allergic to dairy and want a salad, just make do with the standard salt-vinegar-olive oil dressing. They bring you the vinegar and EVOO in small bottles and you're supposed to dress your salad yourself. If the salad has an American style sauce it will be advertised. For example, salsa rosa (similar to thousand island), honey mustard or whatever. An ensalada mixta/mixed salad or ensalada de la casa/ house salad should use the vinaigrette mentioned above. This is specific for Spain, I'm doing a google image search and it seems ensaladas mixtas may have cheese in Mexico. Here it's very uncommon and you'd have to ask for specific salads like caprese or with feta cheese to get cheese in a salad)

No sauce, please Sin salsas, por favor

Dairy (butter, milk, yogurt, cheese and sour cream) Productos de origen lácteo (mantequilla, leche, yogur, queso, crema agria)

Yes, anything that comes from a cow Sí, cualquier producto que se fabrique a partir de la leche
(* Assuming you're not allergic to beef)

I will just eat my own food He traído comida que puedo consumir
(* lit. I brought food I can eat. Restaurants may object to people doing this unless it's baby food or you convince them of your allergies)
posted by sukeban at 12:22 AM on July 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

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