Standard Spanish, commonly referred to as Neutral Spanish, Universal Spanish or Global Spanish, is a variation of the Spanish language used to allow the majority of Spanish speakers to understand the message without the use of local terminology and certain verb tenses

Standard Spanish is a different lect on its own, that has some absent tenses that are not to be found in other linguistic varieties; for example, certain verbal tenses (e.g. the future perfect tense) have virtually disappeared from the normal dialects, and continue to exist only in Standard Spanish. The difficulty of perceiving the distinction is in part due to the strong centralized and prescriptive custom of the Real Academia Española, whose normative rules relating to syntax and style have historically dominated written, legal and academic language, but also to the fact that Standard Spanish is not a geographically or regionally defined language, but a variant that many speakers use more or less frequently along with their own dialects, in formal situations or in the written language.

Frequently, Standard Spanish is used in communications for commercial or marketing purposes, which means exporting certain products without having to localize them. For example, its use is quite frequent in telenovelas, where the actors are usually asked to neutralize the Spanish and their accent.

Mastery of Standard Spanish is frequently a socially important requisite to correctly carry out some prestigious professions and activities, such as liberal arts, teaching or media.

The Spanish language has evolved over thousands of years across the world. Therefore, many variations and "dialects" of the Spanish language have appeared and are in use across the world. This depicts an interesting situation for those who seek to target all or part of the Spanish-speaking market. It provides a chance to tailor a particular translation to target a very specific group, making your communication more effective.

If your goal is to market a product or spread your message in the U.S., you may want to consider a more tightly targeted translation. Rather than trying to reach all Spanish-speakers in the U.S., you should work with your translation agency to define the demographic you want to reach so as to make your message more potent. A good translation agency will be able to guide you through the process of deciding whether a neutral translation is the most effective way to transmit your message. If your target audience is US, the best option is to translate into Neutral Spanish.