Impairment Definition in Spanish | Plain Meaning And Usage

In Spanish, “impairment” is often “deterioro” for a loss of function and “discapacidad” or “incapacidad” when the focus is a limiting condition.

“Impairment” shows up in medical notes, school paperwork, legal forms, and safety warnings. Spanish doesn’t treat all of those as one bucket. The best match depends on what’s impaired, how lasting it is, and whether the text is describing a condition, a limitation, or a legal status.

Below you’ll get clear Spanish options, when each one fits, and the common traps that make translations sound off to native readers.

What “impairment” usually means in English

In everyday English, “impairment” points to reduced ability. That reduction can be mild or severe, temporary or lasting. It can refer to a body function (vision, hearing, mobility), a mental ability (attention, memory), or a state caused by alcohol, drugs, illness, or fatigue.

Before translating, pin down two things:

• What is reduced? A function, a skill, or the ability to do an activity safely.
• What kind of document is it? Clinical, education, legal/labor, or public safety.

Once you answer those, Spanish word choice gets much easier.

Impairment Definition in Spanish For Real-World Contexts

Spanish has several strong options. None is “always correct.” These are the ones you’ll meet most:

• Deterioro: decline or reduced function (deterioro visual, deterioro cognitivo).
• Alteración: an abnormal change or disruption, common in clinical writing (alteración de la marcha).
• Discapacidad: disability framing used in services, education, and public-facing writing.
• Incapacidad: inability or a recognized status in legal, labor, and administrative text.
• Menoscabo: formal legal register for a reduction in capacity.

Match the term to the document’s goal. A clinician may describe “deterioro” in function. A workplace form may require “incapacidad.” A program description may prefer “discapacidad.”

When “deterioro” is the cleanest fit

Use deterioro when the sentence is about loss of capacity or a measurable reduction in function. Spanish usually attaches the function:

• deterioro de la visión
• deterioro de la audición
• deterioro cognitivo
• deterioro funcional

If you need a dictionary anchor in Spanish, the Real Academia Española entry for “deterioro” (RAE) works well in formal writing.

When “discapacidad” matches the audience

Discapacidad fits when the text is about access needs, education planning, services, or benefits. It’s widely understood across Spanish-speaking regions and reads natural in public-facing pages.

When a document ties into international classification language, it can help to mirror the WHO’s Spanish terminology on functioning and disability. La CIF en español (OMS) is a practical vocabulary check.

When “incapacidad” is the right legal or labor word

Incapacidad is a strong match when “impairment” is tied to legal capacity, the ability to work, or a formal status in an official system. This word appears often in labor documents, insurance paperwork, and court-related writing.

The Diccionario panhispánico del español jurídico gives a clear definition and usage notes for “incapacidad” (DPEJ, RAE), which helps keep legal Spanish aligned with standard references.

How to choose the best Spanish term in one minute

1. Name the domain. Medical, education, legal/labor, or safety.
2. Check permanence. Short-term states often read better with “alteración” or a verb phrase; lasting limits often read better with “discapacidad” or “incapacidad,” depending on the document type.
3. Attach the function. Spanish likes “deterioro de…” or “alteración de…” instead of a floating noun.
4. Match formality. “Menoscabo” can suit legal tone; it can feel stiff in school notes.

Common contexts and Spanish wording that sounds natural

The same English phrase can land differently depending on setting. These are the contexts that cause the most trouble, along with Spanish patterns that read smoothly.

Medical notes and assessments

Clinical Spanish often aims for specific function language. Three patterns show up a lot:

• Functional loss: deterioro funcional, deterioro de la movilidad
• Exam finding: alteración del equilibrio, alteración de la marcha
• Deficit label: deficiencia visual, deficiencia auditiva

When translating a test label, keep it short and structured. Long rewrites can clash with how clinicians read results.

Education and learning settings

In schools, “impairment” often appears in categories like visual or hearing impairment. Spanish options can shift by region and by whether the text is for families or for clinicians.

• Visual impairment: discapacidad visual, baja visión, deficiencia visual
• Hearing impairment: discapacidad auditiva, hipoacusia (clinical), deficiencia auditiva

Family-facing text tends to read clearer with “discapacidad.” Clinical reports used by the school may use “deficiencia” or the diagnosis term.

Table 1 placed after ~40%

Context where “impairment” appears	Spanish term that often fits	Notes on tone and use
General decline in function	Deterioro	Pair with the function: deterioro de la memoria, deterioro funcional.
Clinical exam finding	Alteración	Natural in notes: alteración de la marcha, alteración del equilibrio.
Deficit at structure/function level	Deficiencia	Common in assessments: deficiencia visual, deficiencia auditiva.
Education/services disability framing	Discapacidad	Common in public-facing text and program wording.
Work or legal capacity status	Incapacidad	Often tied to formal systems, benefits, or job duties.
Formal legal “reduction” wording	Menoscabo	Formal register; best in legal documents.
Alcohol/drug/fatigue safety messaging	Capacidad disminuida	Often written as reduced ability to act safely, not as a label.
Temporary effect from illness/medication	Afectación	Useful when you want to describe an effect without implying permanence.

Legal writing and official forms

Legal Spanish is picky about register. If “impairment” refers to a formal status, “incapacidad” is often closer than “discapacidad.” If the text is about a reduction in function inside a legal argument, “menoscabo funcional” can fit the tone.

Stick to one register inside a document. Mixing “menoscabo” with casual school wording can feel odd.

Safety wording: alcohol, drugs, fatigue

Safety materials often use “impairment” as a state that reduces safe driving. Spanish sources often phrase this as reduced ability rather than a single noun, like “capacidad disminuida” or “inhabilidad para conducir.”

MedlinePlus has a Spanish page that uses clear public wording: Inhabilidad para conducir (MedlinePlus).

Spanish phrasing patterns that help your text read like a native wrote it

After you choose the core word, phrasing matters. These patterns sound natural across many regions:

• Noun + de: deterioro de la visión, alteración del equilibrio.
• Adjective form: deterioro cognitivo, discapacidad visual.
• Verb phrasing for states: tener la capacidad disminuida para conducir, estar bajo los efectos de…

Verb phrasing is often the best way to translate alcohol/drug “impairment” without turning it into a fixed label.

False friends to avoid

• “Impairment” isn’t always “impedimento.” “Impedimento” often reads as an obstacle or a legal impediment.
• “Incapacidad” and “discapacidad” aren’t interchangeable. One can signal formal work/legal status; the other is broader.
• “Deficiencia” can sound clinical. In text for families, “discapacidad” may read clearer.

Extra Spanish words you’ll see in dictionaries and reports

If you search bilingual dictionaries, you’ll run into more options than you’ll ever want. Some are great in the right spot, and some are easy to misuse.

• Limitación: a limitation in activity or performance. It works well when the English text is about what a person can or can’t do in daily life, like “limitación para caminar largas distancias.”
• Restricción: a restriction, often used when the limit is imposed by a rule or a plan, like “restricción de actividades” after surgery.
• Merma: a reduction, common in formal writing. “Merma de la capacidad” can read natural in reports, and it’s less legal-sounding than “menoscabo.”
• Menoscabo: formal legal register. It’s common in legal Spanish when the text is arguing a reduction in capacity, and it can feel heavy in casual writing.

A practical way to decide is to look at the noun that follows. If the text names a function (visión, memoria, movilidad), “deterioro” or “alteración” often lands well. If the text names an activity (trabajar, conducir, estudiar, caminar), “limitación” or “incapacidad” can be a closer fit, depending on document type.

Table 2 placed after ~60%

English phrase	Spanish wording	Best fit
cognitive impairment	deterioro cognitivo	Clinical and general health writing
visual impairment	discapacidad visual / deficiencia visual	Services/education vs. clinical reports
hearing impairment	discapacidad auditiva / hipoacusia	Public text vs. diagnosis-driven text
functional impairment	deterioro funcional / limitación funcional	Daily-activity and rehab writing
impairment of balance	alteración del equilibrio	Exam notes and findings
impairment due to alcohol	capacidad disminuida por alcohol	Safety messaging
work-related impairment	incapacidad para el trabajo	Labor, insurance, HR

Short sample sentences you can reuse

• El paciente presenta deterioro de la memoria a corto plazo.
• Se observa alteración de la marcha durante la exploración.
• La persona tiene discapacidad visual y requiere ajustes en el aula.
• El informe acredita incapacidad para desempeñar el puesto de trabajo.
• Conducir con capacidad disminuida aumenta el riesgo de choque.

Simple workflow for writers and translators

1. Translate the sentence, not the single word. The verbs and nouns around “impairment” carry the meaning.
2. Pick one main term. Keep it consistent inside a document unless the domain clearly shifts.
3. Add the missing function. Spanish readers expect “de…” or a clear adjective form.
4. Read it out loud. If it sounds stiff, try a verb phrase version.

Common mistakes that can change meaning

• Turning a temporary effect into a formal status. “Incapacidad” can read like a recognized status. For short-term medication effects, “afectación” or “capacidad disminuida” can fit better.
• Leaving out the target function. “Deterioro” without “de…” can feel vague.
• Using “impedimento” as a default. It can shift meaning toward an obstacle rather than reduced ability.

Checklist before you publish or submit

• Does the term match the document type (clinic, school, legal, safety)?
• Did you name the function when Spanish expects it?
• Is wording consistent across the page?
• Does any line imply a formal status that the English text doesn’t?