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ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE LINGUISTICS & CULTURE |
Autor: | Dale-USA |
E-mail: | dale_thomas2004@yahoo.com.br |
Data: | 06/JUN/2011 2:26 PM |
Assunto: | saudade |
Mensagem: |
My guess is that few words are truly 100% translatable if by that we mean 100% interchangeable and that no context is needed for the translation. According to the context, "saudade" can be translated into other languages but not by just one word or expression. "Consórcio" is another example. When talking about business or universities, it is a "consortium". But if you are talking about a lottery/raffle in which buyers make monthly payments towards the purchase of a car or house and decide by chance who gets the next one, I can think of no equivalent in English because the concept does not exist in our culture. How about "capoeira"? "Berimbau"? And how about "não"? Before we say that it means "no", we must remember that it also means "not". During my first visit to Brazil I remember how impressed I was with the words "ficar" and "dar". They have so many meanings and express so many thoughts and concepts. And "rodizio"? Recently I explained "café colonial" to a Colombian. Neither Spanish nor English has a good translation for it. It can be explained, but there is no one word it can be translated as. Why do I have the urge to drink a caipirinha? |