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Mi tía es diputada desde hace diez años.

Mi tía es diputada desde hace diez años.
My aunt has been an MP for ten years.
From Lesson 495:Parliament and immigration (el diputado, la oposición)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Mi tía es diputada desde hace diez años.

Why does the Spanish sentence use the present tense (es) when the English translation says 'has been'?
In Spanish, when an action or state started in the past and is still ongoing in the present, you use the present tense combined with a time marker like desde hace. English uses the present perfect for this, which often tempts learners to literally translate it as ha sido, but es is the natural way to say it in Spanish.
Shouldn't there be an article before diputada, like una diputada?
No, Spanish drops the indefinite article (un or una) after the verb ser when talking about someone's unmodified profession, nationality, or religion. You would only add una if you were describing her with an adjective, for example, es una diputada excelente (she is an excellent MP).
Why use desde hace here instead of just desde?
You use desde hace when talking about an accumulated duration or period of time, like diez años (ten years) or dos meses (two months). You use desde on its own for a specific starting point in time, like desde 2014 (since 2014) or desde ayer (since yesterday).
What exactly is a diputada in Spain?
A diputada (or diputado) is a member of the lower house of the Spanish parliament, called the Congreso de los Diputados. It translates best to MP (Member of Parliament) in the UK or Representative in the US.

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