Translating the Mexican

acta constitutiva

Tackling the challenges of Spanish-to-U.S. English

legal translation through a brief introduction to key
concepts of corporate law and the stylistic features and
structure of Mexican incorporation papers
Joshua Parker
El acta constitutiva: what and
why?
• Document by which a company or
association is established.
• Registered before a certifying public officer
(fedatario público = corredor / notario
público)
• Overview of numerous aspects of company
operations/corporate law
• Frequently translated
Content of a Mexican acta constitutiva
• Denominación, domicilio, objeto social, duración y nacionalidad
• Capital social y acciones/partes sociales, asambleas de accionistas/socios
• Administración: Consejo de Administración
• Vigilancia: Comisarios
• Ejercicios sociales e información financiera
• Disolución y liquidación
• Nombramiento de funcionarios y poderes
• Permisos de SE, SRE
• Generales
Main types of companies in Mexico
Sociedad anónima S.A. de C.V. Most popular, ideal for larger companies Variable stock corporation,
de capital variable Value of company divided into shares variable capital
(acciones) corporation (West III)
No restrictions on shareholders: capital can
be easily raised if needed
Sociedad de S. de R.L. Practical for small and medium businesses Limited liability company
responsabilidad Members (socios) pay individual share of
limitada taxes based on “participation units”/”equity
holdings” ≃ shares (partes sociales)
Sociedad por SAS Simple company structure formed by one or Simplified joint-stock
acciones more individuals; geared to domestic company
simplificada entrepreneurs
Annual maximum revenue of MXN
5,000,000
U.S. equivalents/translations
Corporation (Inc.)
Limited liability company (LLC)
“Acta constitutiva”; constituirse
Articles of incorporation; certificate
of incorporation (Delaware)
A corporation is incorporated in the
state in which it does business or in
a state of its preference (often
Delaware, also Nevada or
Wyoming)
Articles of organization
A limited liability company is
organized when articles of
organization are filed with the
secretary of state or an equivalent
department of state government.
A corporation has shareholders =
stockholders (“accionistas/socios”)
who own shares/stock (”acciones”)
in the corporation. These shares are
part of the capital stock (“capital
social”).
A limited liability company has
members (“socios”) who hold
partes sociales (“equity
holdings”/”participation units” ≃
shares).
Important
When faced with a legal corporate document:
• First, determine the type of document & purpose, both of document &
translation
• Ask yourself what type of company it is: S.A. de C.V., S. de R.L., … and
which country the document and company are from and which country the
translation is for. This will determine many translation choices.
• Understand the basics of how the type of company operates
 Remember!
• Goal in 99% of cases: English translation that reflects Mexican reality,
NOT recreating a U.S. reality with concepts alien to Mexico
Grupo Modelo, S.A. de C.V. ✅ Grupo Modelo, S.A. de C.V.
❌ Grupo Modelo, Inc.
❌ Model Group, Inc.
Llegaron representantes de Grupo Modelo, ✅ Representatives for Grupo Modelo, a variable capital corporation
una sociedad anónima de capital variable, … (under Mexican law) (S.A. de C.V.), arrived…

El capital inicial suscrito al constituirse la
Sociedad es la cantidad de $50,000.00
(cincuenta mil pesos 00/100), moneda
nacional.
✅ The company’s initial capital stock upon incorporation is the sum of
MXN 50,000.00 (fifty thousand pesos 00/100), Mexican currency.
❌ The company’s initial capital stock upon incorporation is the sum of
USD 2,500.00 (twenty-five hundred dollars 00/100), United States
currency.

El permiso de la Secretaría de Economía… ✅ The permit issued by the Secretariat of Economy (SE)…
〰 … Ministry of Economy, Department of Economy, Ministry for Trade,
…
Specific challenges of legal ES>EN
• Sloppy drafting of source texts
• Use of synonyms to refer to a single concept (for better or worse) –
make consistent in EN
e.g. Esta agencia, esta dependencia, esta oficina, este organismo, este órgano, este
despacho, esta autoridad…
El presente contrato, acuerdo, convenio, pacto, entendimiento…
Remember!
• Although often long-winded, legal texts (should) still follow standard
rules of language/syntax
• Identify what each part of each sentence is doing (remember generative
grammar trees?)
• Spanish syntax is more flexible  English almost always SVO
• Be on the lookout for drafting errors
e.g. …se obliga a pagar la suma de $236,586.23 (doscientos sesenta y
tres mil quinientos ochenta y seis pesos 23/100, moneda nacional)
Translation difficulties?
• Syntax of opening sentence:
Adverbial of place (en la ciudad de Zapopan, Jalisco…) + Adverbial of time (a 10 diez de octubre…) +
Adverbial of position (ante mí…) + Verb (comparecen) + Subject (La sociedad mercantil… + La sociedad
mercantil…)

EN: Subject before Verb (Adverbials are flexible)

• Tense of verbs: comparecen, manifiestan, constituyen, otorgan
ES uses present tense;
EN may use simple past or present perfect, depending on context (present may also be aceptable)
Leído el presente, las partes lo otorgan en Ensenada, Baja California, a 16 de agosto de 2022. 
This document having been read, it was executed by the parties in Ensenada, Baja California, on
August 16th, 2022.
Español English Notes
comparecer to appear; to be a party to

compareciente appearing party; party present; party hereto (“party “appearer” does not exist in EN
thereto” in reference to other document)

instrumento instrument
> el presente instrumento > this instrument (herein, hereof, etc.)

otorgar to execute, to sign

estatutos (sociales) by-laws Distinguish from “articles of (incorporation)”; the by-laws/estatutos are part
of the incorporation papers/acta constitutiva

denominación (social) [de una sociedad (corporate/business) name

anónima]
≠ razón social [de una sociedad de personas] ≠ (partnership) name

domicilio (social) domicile Context

principal place of business, registered office, corporate
headquarters
objeto (social) (business) purpose

duración (de una sociedad) duration

≠ duración (de un contrato) ≠ term
nacionalidad (de una sociedad) country (of incorporation/organization, etc., of La sociedad es de nacionalidad mexicana = The company was incorporated
origin…) under Mexican law/The company is Mexican. “Nationality” likely
understood, but is used in reference to individuals in EN
Exercise: Salsas
Villanueva, S.A. de C.V.
• Translate first paragraph
and first four clauses (349
wds)
parkertranslations@gmail.com