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Getting lost in translation in Brazil | Getting lost in translation in Brazil |
(about 9 hours later) | |
Brazil is the only country in Latin America where the culture and language are inherited from Portugal rather than Spain - visitors forget this at their peril. | |
A few weeks after I moved to Brazil, I was on the phone to my father when he asked me how I was enjoying the tacos. I couldn't help getting annoyed and shot back: "Tacos are Mexican, dad, and I live in Brazil." | A few weeks after I moved to Brazil, I was on the phone to my father when he asked me how I was enjoying the tacos. I couldn't help getting annoyed and shot back: "Tacos are Mexican, dad, and I live in Brazil." |
Pao de queijo - delicious bread balls stuffed with gooey cheese that you have for breakfast with a strong coffee - is the quintessential Brazilian food, but there seemed little point in going over the detail with my father. | Pao de queijo - delicious bread balls stuffed with gooey cheese that you have for breakfast with a strong coffee - is the quintessential Brazilian food, but there seemed little point in going over the detail with my father. |
It made me realise, though, that this sort of conversation was not alien to Brazilians, people here get it all the time. | It made me realise, though, that this sort of conversation was not alien to Brazilians, people here get it all the time. |
The song that was written to open the World Cup last year was a case in point. We Are One was a catchy tune meant to unite the world ahead of the beautiful game - only it didn't, because the principal singers were Pitbull, a Cuban-American rapper, and Jennifer Lopez, whose family is Puerto Rican. | The song that was written to open the World Cup last year was a case in point. We Are One was a catchy tune meant to unite the world ahead of the beautiful game - only it didn't, because the principal singers were Pitbull, a Cuban-American rapper, and Jennifer Lopez, whose family is Puerto Rican. |
They start off in English and then sing a verse in Spanish. Only near the end is there a verse in Portuguese, sung by Claudia Leitte, one of Brazil's biggest pop stars. | They start off in English and then sing a verse in Spanish. Only near the end is there a verse in Portuguese, sung by Claudia Leitte, one of Brazil's biggest pop stars. |
I have to admit that I too had some mistaken assumptions about Brazil. I studied Latin American politics at university, I lived in Chile and Mexico and spoke fluent Spanish. I thought I knew the region pretty well. And then I moved here. | I have to admit that I too had some mistaken assumptions about Brazil. I studied Latin American politics at university, I lived in Chile and Mexico and spoke fluent Spanish. I thought I knew the region pretty well. And then I moved here. |
Yes, Brazil shares a colonial past, but the Portuguese influence sets Brazil apart from its Spanish-speaking neighbours. | Yes, Brazil shares a colonial past, but the Portuguese influence sets Brazil apart from its Spanish-speaking neighbours. |
It often struck me that Spain had a superiority complex when it came to Latin America. A paternalistic attitude perhaps, and many I spoke to - especially in Mexico - felt angry about the past. | It often struck me that Spain had a superiority complex when it came to Latin America. A paternalistic attitude perhaps, and many I spoke to - especially in Mexico - felt angry about the past. |
But here in Brazil, it is different. As one Brazilian told me, people here like to go on holiday to Portugal but they see the former master as a quaint little village. Portugal stumbled into a debt crisis and recession at the same time as Brazil started being seen as an economic powerhouse of the future. | But here in Brazil, it is different. As one Brazilian told me, people here like to go on holiday to Portugal but they see the former master as a quaint little village. Portugal stumbled into a debt crisis and recession at the same time as Brazil started being seen as an economic powerhouse of the future. |
It is not that different to Britain's relationship with the US really - the power dynamics between coloniser and colony have changed. | |
But it was the language that perhaps threw me the most when I arrived. Spanish and Portuguese are of course very similar - without fail, everybody told me my Spanish would make things easier, and it is true most of the time. | But it was the language that perhaps threw me the most when I arrived. Spanish and Portuguese are of course very similar - without fail, everybody told me my Spanish would make things easier, and it is true most of the time. |
But early on, one Latin American academic gave me some valuable advice. "Forget your Spanish," he said, "otherwise you will never speak good Portuguese." | But early on, one Latin American academic gave me some valuable advice. "Forget your Spanish," he said, "otherwise you will never speak good Portuguese." |
Armed with this advice, I threw myself into learning. For months, I would find myself talking to people in what I thought was quite adequate Portuguese, and then mysteriously the conversation would gravitate towards the topic of Spain - people would tell me anecdotes about their experiences there. | Armed with this advice, I threw myself into learning. For months, I would find myself talking to people in what I thought was quite adequate Portuguese, and then mysteriously the conversation would gravitate towards the topic of Spain - people would tell me anecdotes about their experiences there. |
Some would say "gracias" instead of "obrigado" when thanking me. Confusing at first, but then it dawned on me when a workman came round to fix something in my flat. He started explaining to his colleague that I was Spanish so he had to speak slowly. | Some would say "gracias" instead of "obrigado" when thanking me. Confusing at first, but then it dawned on me when a workman came round to fix something in my flat. He started explaining to his colleague that I was Spanish so he had to speak slowly. |
And then I realised that no, it was not Portuguese I had been speaking, it was in fact Portunhol... think Franglais or Spanglish and you get the picture. | And then I realised that no, it was not Portuguese I had been speaking, it was in fact Portunhol... think Franglais or Spanglish and you get the picture. |
Some people don't mind you speaking Portunhol. Close to the borders with countries like Uruguay it is almost a dialect. And I have met some kind souls who have spoken it to help me. | Some people don't mind you speaking Portunhol. Close to the borders with countries like Uruguay it is almost a dialect. And I have met some kind souls who have spoken it to help me. |
My Brazilian cameraman used to deliberately mix up Spanish and Portuguese until I suggested that although he thought it would make life easier for me, it really didn't - it just meant that I would always speak Portuguese badly - so he soon put a stop to that. | My Brazilian cameraman used to deliberately mix up Spanish and Portuguese until I suggested that although he thought it would make life easier for me, it really didn't - it just meant that I would always speak Portuguese badly - so he soon put a stop to that. |
But Brazilians are proud people, so not everybody approves of Portunhol. Some find it a lazy tactic to avoid learning proper Portuguese. They want you to commit to their country and understand them. | But Brazilians are proud people, so not everybody approves of Portunhol. Some find it a lazy tactic to avoid learning proper Portuguese. They want you to commit to their country and understand them. |
Which brings me to another bugbear. The city that I live in is called Sao Paulo and it is spelled P-A-U-L-O - that's a U in the middle, not an O - get it wrong and Brazilians will chastise you. It is not Italian, it is not Spanish, this is Portuguese - so get it right. | Which brings me to another bugbear. The city that I live in is called Sao Paulo and it is spelled P-A-U-L-O - that's a U in the middle, not an O - get it wrong and Brazilians will chastise you. It is not Italian, it is not Spanish, this is Portuguese - so get it right. |
Despite the initial language barriers, Brazil has enabled me to understand a much bigger part of a region that I love. But now I am moving on - back to Mexico in fact. A country I am familiar with and where I can speak the language. | Despite the initial language barriers, Brazil has enabled me to understand a much bigger part of a region that I love. But now I am moving on - back to Mexico in fact. A country I am familiar with and where I can speak the language. |
Ironic, really, my dad will be pleased to know that I can now enjoy those tacos, but I won't be forgetting the pao de queijo any time soon. | Ironic, really, my dad will be pleased to know that I can now enjoy those tacos, but I won't be forgetting the pao de queijo any time soon. |
How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent: | How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent: |
BBC Radio 4: Saturdays at 11:30 and Thursdays at 11:02 GMT | BBC Radio 4: Saturdays at 11:30 and Thursdays at 11:02 GMT |
Listen online or download the podcast. | Listen online or download the podcast. |
BBC World Service: At weekends - see World Service programme schedule. | BBC World Service: At weekends - see World Service programme schedule. |
Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. | Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. |
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