OFFENSIVE STEREOTYPES DEFINING "JEW" IN SPANISH DICTIONARIES
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) received assurances that two major dictionary publishers would clarify the use of offensive terms used to define the word "Jew."
Oxford University Press, publisher of the Oxford Spanish Dictionary, and Ediciones Larousse, publishers of El Pequeno Larousse Illustrado, respectively used the offensive terms miserly, tight fisted and usurer to define "Jew."
Susie Dent, Commissioning Editor of Bilingual Dictionaries for Oxford University Press, in her letter to ADL said, "We have taken advice from a number of sources regarding the definition of judio (Jew), and accept that the usage in the sense of tacano (miserly) is offensive and should be labeled as such. We will endeavor to make this change at the first opportunity."
Luz Henriquez, Commercial Director of Ediciones Larousse Argentina, assured ADL that the complaint has been sent "to the Publisher Director in Spain, in order to rewrite the definition of 'Jew'."
"We are pleased that Oxford Press and Ediciones Larousse have shown sensitivity to this issue and are satisfied that they have taken steps to clarify the disparaging stereotypes in their definition of the word "Jew," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.
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