Archive for 'Geography'
Brazil’s Middle Class Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 18, 2007
This great article from the BBC (in English) details some of the recent growth of the Brazilian middle class. The gist of the article is that stabilization of the Brazilian economy, particularly the currency (the Real) has provided increased lending opportunities and augmented the buying power of the lower classes. I am no economist, so…
Ilha Fiscal Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 17, 2007
Ilha Fiscal is a small island in the Baía de Guanabara which served for many years as the ‘customs house’ for the port of Rio de Janeiro. Here’s a description in Portuguese from the Brazilian Navy’s website, followed by a translation for your reference. Please give it a try and see how much you understand!…
Why do Brazilians speak Portuguese Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 15, 2007
People speak Portuguese in Brazil because Brazil was a Portuguese colony. Though this fact is well-known in some circles (loyal blog readers and Portuguese language learners, for example), one may be surprised how many well-educated people either don’t know that Portuguese is spoken in Brazil, or don’t know why! It is actually pretty common to…
Project Xingu Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 31, 2007
BBCBrasil.com | Interatividade | Projeto Xingu: No Coração do Brasil Today I will translate this article, so you can read it in Portuguese, then in English, then in Portuguese or use the translation purely as a reference. Enjoy! “Sue and Patrick Cunningham are realizing an incredible adventure throught the heart of Brazil. The two English…
Where do people speak Portuguese? Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 25, 2007
There are about 10 million speakers of Portuguese in Portugual itself, and the large majority of speakers in Brazil (about 150 million), but where else in the world can one hear this wonderful language spoken? The short answer: former Portuguese colonies. The Lusophonic (Portuguese-speaking) world, also known as the Lusosphere really wraps around the globe…