A carschooler in California where many towns, cities, and streets have Spanish names because much of the state was settled by Spanish explorers, ranchers, and missionaries. She said that her kids, who were studying Spanish in school, began to notice this phenomenon and created the Translation Game. Players take turns calling out a town or a street with a Spanish name, or a Spanish word on a billboard, and the other player has to translate it into English within 60 seconds to earn a point. The person with the most points at the end of the game wins. Of course, it helps to keep a Spanish/English dictionary handy to keep everyone honest. She provided this list of common Spanish words (along with their English translations) that seem to be repeated on street signs and billboards regardless of what town her family travels through:
Arboles = Trees Fortuna = Fortune
Bonita = Pretty Gordo = Fat
Colores = Colors Hacienda = Estate
Diablo = Devil Joyeria = Jewelry
Estrella = Star Luna = Moon
Mercado = Market Sol = Sun
Nopales = Cactus Tierra = Earth
Osos = Bears Uvas = Grapes
Perros = Dogs Verde = Green
Rio = River