As one of the world’s largest economies, with enormous potential for growth, Brazil is an increasingly important market for all kinds of products and services. For your business to stand out from the pack and succeed in the Brazilian market, you’ll need great communication — and for great communication, you’ll need top-quality Brazilian Portuguese translation services.
Translation isn’t simple. It might seem like someone with a decent level of fluency in both languages should be able to translate between them, but there are a number of pitfalls, four of which are described below.
1. Brazilian Portuguese has regional variations.
Within the diversity of the Portuguese language, Brazilian Portuguese itself is far from homogenous. There’s a standardized form of the language, which you can use for formal texts. However, if you’re trying to communicate more informally with a specific subpopulation, there are a number of variations to consider. For example, depending on where you are in Brazil, there are differences in pronoun use, verb conjugation and pluralization.
If your text is something less formal, like advertising content, you need a Brazilian Portuguese translation service that considers the target audience when translating it. Otherwise, it could end up alienating your readers.
2. The message might not fit the format.
Another important pitfall of Brazilian Portuguese translation is the relative length of texts. Brazilian Portuguese translations generally have more words and characters than the original English. If the content you need to translate is something with a strong visual component, such as a poster, flyer or presentation, you need to make sure your Brazilian Portuguese translation service has the know-how to fit the message to the format, or you could look unprofessional.
3. Brazilian Portuguese is a different type of language than English.
A complicating factor in translating between the two languages is that they’re from different families: English is mostly a Germanic language, whereas Portuguese is a Romance language, and this leads to a number of grammatical differences. For example, Portuguese has gendered nouns, a much richer and (to English speakers) more complicated system of verb conjugation, and a more rigid system of tenses. This makes translation more difficult.
4. Some words can’t be translated directly.
Brazilian Portuguese has a vocabulary that’s significantly different from English. A Portuguese word such as saudade doesn’t have a direct English equivalent — it’s a noun referring to a feeling of missing something or someone. The best translation will vary depending on the context. To avoid ending up with a translation that either doesn’t make sense or has a different meaning from your original content, hire an experienced Brazilian Portuguese translation service.
Work with a professional Brazilian Portuguese translation service
Good translators can overcome all of these pitfalls and produce a professional, high-quality translation that accurately reproduces the tone and content of the original text. Our highly skilled and experienced translators are ready to do this for you, so get in touch today!