Translating - Tips

It is necessary to have an understanding of the language. As in many cases there are no direct translations, we must have a full understanding of the text and then express it correctly in Portuguese. It is also important to mention that many times the Portuguese language is more extensive than English and it is wrong to make the English as long as the Portuguese because it is not the standard of the language. There are several translation traps that can be avoided if the text is carefully read. One example of a very common mistake in translating is the question of age. In Portuguese it is said that a person has so many years of age and in English we say that a person is so many years old. The standard of each language is what counts.

Pronouns also cause some problems in translations. The pronoun it does not exist in Portuguese. There are also a lot of words that are written the same way or in a similar way in either language that can have completely different meanings. It really is not easy. Another classical example is with the possessive pronoun your. The translation of this possessive pronoun into Portuguese can be masculine or feminine. However, the reverse could be his, her, your, or its.

It is important to also mention that there are many words that have more than one deffinition or application. This makes translations difficult.

Gavin's English Course points out common problems and difficulties in translations.