Like English, Spanish is constantly evolving. Unlike some English speakers, we welcome that | María Ramírez

Purists' attempts to police our global languages are doomed - there's joy and inspiration in new expressions from all over the world

Even your own language can have the capacity to surprise you. I recently joined a panel at a journalism conference with a reporter and a lawyer, both from Colombia. I found myself captivated by some of the words they used that aren't - or rather weren't - so common in Spain. The investigative journalist Diana Salinas referred to her craft as la filigrana, the filigree. I wouldn't have used the term in that context, and yet it struck me as perfect to describe the intricate, careful work that investigative reporting requires.

Filigrana is not even considered a Latin-Americanism - it comes from Italian - but it has somehow been forgotten in everyday speech in Spain. As is often the case with Spanish in Latin America, usage and context enriches the word.

Maria Ramirez is a journalist and the deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outlet in Spain