Tag Archives: translation
Portuguese Translation Trick Posted by Rachel on Apr 27, 2011
Here’s a handy trick for translating words, learning new vocabulary, or visualizing a new concept when learning Portuguese. It works best with certain types of speech, particularly objects, some nouns, and even verbs, and it works best for words that are best understood in a visual format. It’s especially helpful for visual learners! Let’s say…
Elizabeth Bishop Posted by Rachel on Feb 10, 2011
As those of our non-Brazilian students may know, once you fall in love with Brazil, there’s no going back, and sometimes you end up staying longer than you expect. Such was the case with one of the United States’ most brilliant poets, Elizabeth Bishop. Bishop (1911-1979) was born in Massachusetts, and traveled extensively after graduating…
Untranslatable Portuguese Words Posted by Rachel on Oct 22, 2010
There’s much ado in the linguist community about words that are difficult to translate, and two Portuguese words often appear on lists of untranslatable words. But I’m going to argue that while both are complex words, they’re not untranslatable. 1. Cafuné While this word encompasses a concept rather than a single word, it’s pretty straightforward…
Poetry in Portuguese | “Círculo Vicioso” by Machado de Assis Posted by polyana on Jun 9, 2010
I’m reading a book called, “Como Transformar Defeitos em Virtudes,” and it claims to be a good humored view on the seven deadly sins… which so far it is! And each chapter for each sin starts off with a poem. The first chapter starts off with a poem by Machado de Assis, one of Brazil’s…
Side by Side Translation: Roberto Carlos Posted by Rachel on May 5, 2010
Roberto Carlos is a musical icon in Latin America, something of a Brazilian Barry Manilow. But he’s not just popular in Brazil; he sings in Spanish and Portuguese, so he’s popular the world over. He recently celebrated the fifty year anniversary of his career in New York, where he played two shows at Radio City…
Side by Side Lyrics Translation: Maria Rita Posted by Rachel on Apr 6, 2010
Today we’re going to listen to a Maria Rita song with an adjacent translation in English! In this song, the singer compares her life to a busy train station. She uses fairly simple language, so hopefully it won’t be too difficult to follow along with the English to help. Lyrics – Encontros e despedidas Mande…
Lyrics Translation: The Girl From Ipanema Posted by Rachel on Mar 23, 2010
One of the most internationally famous bossa nova songs of all time, The Girl from Ipanema is a classic with easy to follow lyrics. It’s useful to see a side by side translation, especially since the song is also sung in English (the most famous recording by Frank Sinatra), but with slightly different lyrics. Here…