One of the best ways to learn proper phrasing and new vocabulary is to read the same text in both Portuguese and English to compare the two. One place that makes it easy to do so is RioReal, a fantastic blog written by long-time Rio resident Julia Michaels about news in Rio de Janeiro–with posts translated into both languages. For more advanced Portuguese learners, it’s a great opportunity to look at translation style. Plus, it’s also inspiring to read since Michaels is a native English speaker herself!

Check out this example. In one post, Michaels talks about ideas for new things to see and do in the city.

The Pavão-Pavãozinho lookout, opened in 2010 atop an elevator shaft above the Teixeira de Melo exit of the General Osório metro station. Ride up for free, see the views, and walk with local residents along a passageway into the favela where you can safely explore ever since the installation of a police pacfication unit in 2009. Note the light meters outside the houses; it’s all about taking people into the formal economy. There’s still a LOT of trash.

O Mirante Pavão-Pavãozinho, aberto em 2010 em cima do elevador público por sua vez em cima da saída Teixeira de Melo da estação de metrô General Osório. Você pode subir de graça, conferir as vistas, e caminhar com moradores pela passarela para dentro da favela, onde é possível andar sem problemas desde a instalação de uma UPP em 2009. Vai ver os relógios de luz nas paredes das casas; trata-se de levar as pessoas para a economia formal. Há ainda MUITO lixo.

Read the full post here.

In another post, Michaels interviews an American expat who opened a restaurant called the Gringo Café:

When Flowers began to dream of the Gringo Café, he looked for someone who could describe to him all the steps of the process of making the investment, getting a visa and setting up the business. Such a person didn’t exist, he discovered. Now he’s doing some consulting on the side for other dreamers. “You really have no way to know what [the business] is going to look like until you’re in it,” Flowers concludes — despite so much careful preparation. “You have to test and adjust.”

Quando Flowers começou a sonhar do Gringo Café, procurou alguém que pudesse lhe descrever todos os passos para fazer o investimento, conseguir o visto, e estruturar o negócio. Tal pessoa não existia, ele descobriu. Agora ele faz um pouco de consultoria nesse sentido para outros sonhadores. “Não tem como saber como vai ser o negócio até você estar imerso nele,” conclui Flowers — apesar de seu preparo minucioso. “Você tem que testar e fazer ajustes.”

Read the full post here.