I have come across two translations: acerca de and sobre.
Which one is the most accurate translation for a construct such as “This book is about a cat” or “They are talking about you”?
If they both mean exactly the same thing, are there any preferences around using one over the other in your region?
acerca de is more literally related to the English concept of about, both convey the concept of "near or around", in a figurative (and sometimes literal) sense.
sobre usually translates to the English word on.
Therefore, as with many phrases and words, you must translate the concept more than the word.
The book is about cats.
He was running about.
I'm about to leave.
And each of these have multiple possible synonymous expressions in English.
The book is on [the topic of] cats.
He was running all over the place.
I'm nearly ready to leave.
In Spanish, you see these translations follow more my second set of English phrases:
El libro es sobre los gatos.
Él estuvo corriendo en todos lados.
Estoy a punto de salir.
So in your specific example, sobre is the proper translation of the concept, and in English it's more like saying "on":
El libro es sobre la historia de America. (The book is on the history of America)
El gato está sobre la mesa. (The cat is on the table)
¡No camines sobre el pasto! (Don't walk on the grass!)
And you forgot that acerca de can be reduced to just de. Here in Spain I think we would translate those sentences this way:
But other variations are possible and would not be unusual.
